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Reflection for Palm Sunday 2011 His state was divine, yet Christ Jesus did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are, and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11 Prayer & Reflection The gospel for Palm Sunday is taken from Matthew’s account 26:14-27:66. We are invited to walk with Jesus. It is not simply that we are remembering what happened to Jesus. Rather we are invited to enter in, to engage, to be present throughout the events of Holy Week and the cross so that we can also enter into the joyful new life of Easter Sunday with Jesus. In Matthew’s account Jesus is shown as one who is abandoned, by his own disciples and even ultimately by God. He faces death alone. The second reading for Palm Sunday is from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In this we see how Jesus himself has abandoned power, status, influence, even equality with God so that he can become like us. This is a choice made out of love and the one thing Jesus will not abandon is his commitment to God’s message of love. This is what brings him to the cross. Jesus does not choose death. He does not ask for suffering. He chooses the life giving message of God’s love even though this means that everyone and everything, even his life, is stripped away from him. But it is his commitment to life which brings Jesus through the darkness of Good Friday and the cross to the glory of Easter Sunday and the resurrection. There is a lot to take in over Palm Sunday and Holy Week. You are invited to take the reading from the letter to the Philippians, above, to pray with right through Palm Sunday and the days of Holy Week. Let the words of Paul act like a lens, focusing the events of Holy Week. Be aware of what strikes you, in this reading and in the liturgies of Holy Week. What challenges you? What insight is offered to you? Where is your heart at? Action Reflect this week what status and power you hold and how you use it. Think over your day – where have you been offered the possibility of putting others first? What does service mean in your life? FOR THE NEWSLETTER In Matthew’s account Jesus is shown as one who is abandoned, by his own disciples and even ultimately by God. He faces death alone. The second reading for Palm Sunday is from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In this we see how Jesus himself has abandoned power, status, influence, even equality with God so that he can become like us. This is a choice made out of love and the one thing Jesus will not abandon is his commitment to God’s message of love. This is what brings him to the cross. Jesus does not choose death. He does not ask for suffering. He chooses the life giving message of God’s love even though this means that everyone and everything, even his life, is stripped away from him. But it is his commitment to life which brings Jesus through the darkness of Good Friday and the cross to the glory of Easter Sunday and the resurrection. |
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