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Home , Mark 14

CATHOLIC CONVERSATIONS ON THE SCRIPTURES Archdiocese of Miami - Ministry of Christian Formation

April 5, 2009 Palm Sunday (Cycle B)

Gospel reading Mark 14:1-15:47*

*For the complete reading please refer to your . The and the feast of Unleavened Bread were to take place in two days’ . So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death... Then , one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them... gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 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 !”...

Brief commentary:

The story of Christ’s passion and death is told by the . Every year a different synoptic narrative is proclaimed on Passion Sunday (Matthew in Year A, Mark in Year B, and Luke in Year C). On , the Passion is always taken from the according to John. Although Mark is the shortest of the the narrative of the Passion takes up nearly one-fifth of his Gospel, this is because his purpose was to show Jesus as the suffering servant who is the . Mark sees the cross as Jesus’ way to glory and the climax of his ministry that began after his Baptism by John. Throughout this Gospel, Jesus alone seems to understand his mission. The disciples are not shown in a good light and their behavior at the time of the arrest and suffering of Jesus is disturbing. In the end Peter denied Jesus, Judas betrayed him, and Peter, James and John fell sleep on him during his agony in the Garden of . When Jesus addressed God as Abb ā, Father (14:36), he used an Aramaic term which had not been used by earlier or contemporary Jewish sources to address God with this filial intimacy.

Today’s reading offers three significant messages:

• The woman’s act of is the anticipation of Jesus’ burial. • The Passover meal commemorates the liberation of the from slavery in Egypt. Just like they passed-over from slavery into freedom, Jesus will pass-over from death to life. The meal dramatized his self-offering as the Paschal Lamb who will establish the new . • It was a pagan centurion who was able to see the living Son of God most clearly in his humble and loving death.

For our shared or personal reflection: After a brief pause for silent reflection share your answers, ideas or feelings.

1. The reading of the Passion can be a powerful experience if we allow it to touch us. Take a moment today to really enter into his journey with Jesus. Identify who do you relate with in this story and why. What role do you play in this drama of love?

2. On Palm Sunday, Christ is proclaimed King of Israel. A few days later, he is condemned to death by the same crowd. Nevertheless, Jesus ends his life forgiving all who have hurt him. How am I called to grow in this area?

Suggested readings : Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 559-560; 570-575; 610-612. No “collective guilt” of the Jews in Jesus’ death : 597. Sinners are guilty of the death of Jesus : 598. The : 1328; 1338-1344.