Gospel: Mark 14:1—15:47 (or 15:1-39)The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were to take place in two
days’ time. So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest
him by treachery and put him to death. They said, “Not during the festival, for
fear that there may be a riot among the people.”
When he was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper
a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil costly genuine spikenard.
She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head. There were some who were
indignant. “Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? It could have been
sold for more than three hundred days’ wages and the money given to the poor.”
They were infuriated with her. Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you make
trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always
have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but
you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anticipated
anointing my body for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is
proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to
hand him over to them. When they heard him they were pleased and promised to
pay him money. Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they
sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where do you
want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He sent two of his
disciples and said to them, Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of
the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the
Passover with my disciples?” Then he will show you a large upper room furnished
and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” The disciples then went off,
entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they
prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he came with the Twelve. And as they reclined at
table and were eating, Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray
me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be distressed and to say to him,
one by one, “Surely it is not I?” He said to them, “One of the Twelve, the one
who dips with me into the dish. For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written
of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be
better for that man if he had never been born.”
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and
gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave
thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This
is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until
the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will have your faith shaken, for it
is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be dispersed. But
after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.”Peter said to
him, “Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.” Then
Jesus said to him, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows
twice you will deny me three times.” But he vehemently replied, “Even though I
should have to die with you,
I will not deny you.” And they all spoke similarly. Then they came to a
place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I
pray.” He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be troubled and
distressed. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch.” He advanced a little and fell to the ground
and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass by him; he said, “Abba,
Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not
what I will but what you will. When he returned he found them asleep. He said
to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch
and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh
is weak.” Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing. Then he returned
once more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open and
did not know what to answer him. He returned a third time and said to them,
“Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come.
Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. Get up, let us go. See,
my betrayer is at hand.”
Then, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who had come from the chief
priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had arranged a signal with
them, saying, “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away
securely.” He came and immediately went over to him and said, “Rabbi.” And he
kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him. One of the
bystanders drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his
ear. Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you come out as against a robber, with
swords and clubs, to seize me? Day after day I was with you teaching in the
temple area, yet you did not arrest me; but that the Scriptures may be
fulfilled.” And they all left him and fled. Now a young man followed him
wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left
the cloth behind and ran off naked.
They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the
elders and the scribes came together. Peter followed him at a distance into the
high priest’s courtyard and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the
fire.The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain testimony
against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none. Many gave
false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. Some took the
stand and testified falsely against him, alleging, “We heard him say, ‘I will
destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will build another
not made with hands.’” Even so their testimony did not agree.
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying,
“Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?” But he was
silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to him,
“Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One?” Then Jesus answered, “I am;
and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and
coming with the clouds of heaven.’ At that the high priest tore his garments
and said, “What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard the
blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as deserving to die. Some
began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him,
“Prophesy!” And the guards greeted him with blows.
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s maids
came along. Seeing Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said,
“You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it saying, “I neither
know nor understand what you are talking about.” So he went out into the outer
court. Then the cock crowed. The maid saw him and began again to say to the
bystanders, “This man is one of them.” Once again he denied it. A little later
the bystanders said to Peter once more, “Surely you are one of them; for you
too are a Galilean.” He began to curse and to swear, “I do not know this man
about whom you are talking.” And immediately a cock crowed a second time. Then
Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows
twice you will deny me three times.” He broke down and wept.
As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the
scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council. They bound Jesus, led him
away, and handed him over to Pilate.Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of
the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.” The chief priests accused him
of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many
things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate
was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner
whom they requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the
rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. The crowd came forward and
began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed. Pilate answered, “Do you
want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” For he knew that it was out of
envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred
up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate again said
to them in reply, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the
king of the Jews?” They shouted again, “Crucify him.” Pilate said to them,
“Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.” So
Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he
had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and
assembled the whole cohort. They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of
thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute him with, AHail, King of the
Jews!” and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt
before him in homage. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the
purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming
in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha — which is translated Place of
the Skull —They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then
they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to
see what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they
crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the
Jews.” With him they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on
his left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha!
You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by
coming down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may
see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi,
lemasabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “Look, he is calling Elijah. One
of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to
drink saying, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.” Jesus gave a
loud cry and breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the
centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly
this man was the Son of God!” There were also women looking on from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and
of Joses, and Salome. These women had followed him when he was in Galilee and
ministered to him. There were also many other women who had come up with him to
Jerusalem.
When it was already evening, since it was the day of preparation, the day
before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the council,
who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously went to
Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was amazed that he was already
dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already died. And
when he learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Having
bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth, and
laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone
against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses
watched where he was laid.
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Reflection:
Imagine the scene of Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem. Imagine that
you’re there spreading your own cloak and waiving your own palm. While shouting
hosanna, hosanna in the highest! To honor Him as He pass by you on a donkey.
The mood is festive isn’t it?
But after a few days the festiveness is replaced by somberness and
isolation. The crowd shouting hosanna, hosanna has suddenly evaporated like the
dew in the morning. The crowd that has been with Jesus in His healing
ministry was nowhere to be found. Where were they when Jesus needed them most?
They simply abandoned Jesus because He was not doing anymore miracles and
healings.
They were the same crowd who allowed themselves to be dictated by the
chief priests. That is why they shouted to release Barabbas instead of Jesus. And
ironically the same crowd who loudly shouted: Crucify Him! Crucify him! With
their betrayal Jesus’ went through His passion and death on the cross.
Who are this modern day crowd? It’s no other than many of us if not all
of us. We only acknowledge Jesus in our triumphs and victories, we recognize
Jesus during the happy episodes of our lives and when we are in need of His
help and guidance. But when we undergo trials and testing we sometimes question
the Lord why we have to go through this challenging episode/s in our lives.
We are in an extra ordinary time right now caused by this Covid-19
pandemic which has been continuously ravaging our country and our lives for
more than a year right now. Let us use this Holy Week to pray, let us ask the
Lord to heal our wounded land and people for everything is possible with God.
We therefore have to watch online all the liturgical celebrations this
Holy Week. Let us begin today Palm Sunday until the Paschal/Easter
Triduum (The Mass of the Lord’s Supper during Holy Thursday, the veneration of
the cross during Good Friday and the Vigil Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection
during Saturday evening).
Let us make the most of this Holy week by strongly re-establishing our WIFI
connection with God for we would always survive all the trials that we are
going thru if we are always connected with Him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
