Palm Sunday 2010

Palm Sunday, 2010
John 12:1-18

Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

Additional Readings for Today:
Matthew 21:1-11; 15-17
St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 4:4-9

June 29 ~ Sts. Peter and Paul

God our Father,

today you give us the joy of celebrating the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Through them your Church first received the faith. Keep us true to their teaching.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ,

your Son, who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Great and Holy Monday

On Holy Monday we commemorate Joseph the Patriarch, the beloved son of Jacob. A major figure of the Old Testament, Joseph's story is told in the final section of the Book of Genesis (chs. 37-50). Because of his exceptional qualities and remarkable life, our patristic and liturgical tradition portrays Joseph as tipos Christou, i.e., as a prototype, prefigurement or image of Christ. The story of Joseph illustrates the mystery of God's providence, promise and redemption. Innocent, chaste and righteous, his life bears witness to the power of God's love and promise. The lesson to be learned from Joseph's life, as it bears upon the ultimate redemption wrought by the death and resurrection of Christ, is summed up in the words he addressed to his brothers who had previously betrayed him, “’Fear not ... As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he reassured them and comforted them” (Genesis 50:19-21). The commemoration of the noble, blessed and saintly Joseph reminds us that in the great events of the Old Testament, the Church recognizes the realities of the New Testament.

Also, on Great and Holy Monday the Church commemorates the event of the cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-20). In the Gospel narrative this event is said to have occurred on the morrow of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:18 and Mark 11:12). For this reason it found its way into the liturgy of Great Monday. The episode is also quite relevant to Great Week. Together with the event of the cleansing of the Temple this episode is another manifestation of Jesus' divine power and authority and a revelation as well of God's judgment upon the faithlessness of the Jewish religious classes. The fig tree is symbolic of Israel become barren by her failure to recognize and receive Christ and His teachings. The cursing of the fig tree is a parable in action, a symbolic gesture. Its meaning should not be lost on any one in any generation. Christ's judgment on the faithless, unbelieving, unrepentant and unloving will be certain and decisive on the Last Day. This episode makes it clear that nominal Christianity is not only inadequate, it is also despicable and unworthy of God's kingdom. Genuine Christian faith is dynamic and fruitful. It permeates one's whole being and causes a change. Living, true and unadulterated faith makes the Christian conscious of the fact that he is already a citizen of heaven. Therefore, his way of thinking, feeling, acting and being must reflect this reality. Those who belong to Christ ought to live and walk in the Spirit; and the Spirit will bear fruit in them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-25).

~~~

Matins of Great and Holy Monday

Matthew 21:18-43 (pp. 32-35)

The Parable of the Fig Tree

In those days, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, He was hungry and seeing a

fig tree by the wayside He went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only. And

He said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered

at once. When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree

wither at once?" And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith

and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but

even if you say to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will be

done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

The Authority of Jesus

And when He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people

came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing

these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus answered them, "I also will

ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what

authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or

from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' He will

say to us, `Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say `From men,' we are

afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered

Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what

authority I do these things.

The Man with Two Sons

"What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son,

go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, `I will not'; but afterward he

repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he

answered, `I go, sir,' and did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?"

They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors

and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in

the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and

the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent

and believe him.

The Wicked Tenants

"Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and

set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out

to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he

sent his servant to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants

and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants,

more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to

them, saying, `They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they

said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his

inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those

tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and

let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."

~~~

Forgiveness Sunday

QUOTE In the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent – the day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated – is called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ:

"If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses..." (Mark 6:14-15)

Then after Vespers – after hearing the announcement of Lent in the Great Prokeimenon: "Turn not away Thy face from Thy child for I am afflicted! Hear me speedily! Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!", after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special memories, with the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrations – we ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. And as we approach each other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal joy. UNQUOTE
- Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann

In vain do you rejoice in no eating, O soul!
For you abstain from food,
But from passions you are not purified.
If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast.

- Lenten Hymn

~~~~~

Let's Get Serious About Lent

Today is "Clean Monday" for Eastern Rite Catholics across the globe. We are tightening our belts and going temporarily vegan for as much of Lent as possible, the first week and Holy Week at the very least. Those faint of heart (that's me) can take some eggs and cheese in the intermittent weeks, with fish for celebratory days such as the Feast of the Annunciation. That is also the reason your Byzantine friends may catch themselves doing a little eye-rolling when they hear the (gasp) Roman Catholic fast of abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Fridays...
Big whiff, Biff, say the Byzantines!! :D

Here is Saint John Chrysostom on fasting. QUOTE Do you fast? Prove it by doing good works. If you see someone in need, take pity on them. If you see a friend being honored, don't get jealous of him. For a true fast, you cannot fast only with your mouth. You must fast with your eyes, your ears, your feet, your hands, and all parts of your body. UNQUOTE

Whatever your fasting ideal, the time is nigh to get serious about it. The joyful soul-making sorrow of the Lenten spring is upon us.

art credit: CasaBeltran
From Catholic Exchange.

QUOTE Aside from what the Church law of fast and abstinence requires of us, we should come up with a personal program for spiritual growth. This is our personal maintenance program. I have always recommended that we come up with something negative and something positive.
By something negative, I mean that each person should commit themselves to giving up something or a number of things. This sacrifice should be serious and demanding. The self-control that we exercise in giving up a legitimate pleasure strengthens our will and curbs the inclinations of our passions.
By something positive, I mean that each one should also do some kind of act that we would not normally do on a regular basis. Attending daily Mass, visiting the sick, volunteering time at the parish or praying a Sunday evening Rosary with the entire family are positive acts of virtue that have helped many people progress in their relationship with God.
Lenten practices of penance have great benefits for our spiritual lives. A serious Lent will be like a spring cleaning which will purify the clutter that has accumulated in our souls. A serious commitment to penance will also help us to conquer addictions, obsessions and compulsive behavior. A serious Lent will purify our soul and allow us to experience a deeper interior freedom. UNQUOTE
~~~