Palm Sunday

Good Morning, dear reader!! A blessed Palm Sunday to you!! Today we begin our journey into Holy Week. It will be a week of mixed emotions, reflection and prayers. It is never easy watching Jesus during this time as we know what is to come. But, we also know of the joy that it will bring on Resurrection Sunday! 

We start our reading this morning with Jesus entering Jerusalem. I will share with you the footnote from my bible, as I think this gives us some good insight on this:

With the royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, a new section of Luke's Gospel begins, the ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem before His death and resurrection. Luke suggests that this was a lengthy ministry there, which is  characterised by Jesus' daily teaching in the temple.*

Today is one of the few days we can feel joyous. He is heralded as King as He enters the city. But, the Romans ask Jesus to reprimand His apostles for calling Jesus King. They felt this was an insult to their king, who they saw as true ruler. Jesus told them that He would not do this because even if His apostles kept quiet, others would still recognise Him as King and would call out to Him as such. Jesus is the ultimate rabble rouser and rebel!! 

The reading from Isaiah is a prophetic one as Isaiah is referring to Jesus. Remember, Jesus's birth, death and resurrection are all foretold in the Old Testament. This reading laments the fact that the people will not heed Jesus's teachings. Rather, they are relying on the secular. Because of this, their sins will bring death and destruction to the land. 

As we move on to Philippians, we see the joy of Jesus, exalted by His Father, illustrating the fact that He is to be glorified and revered. Jesus did not act as a god, but as a servant TO God; He exemplified utmost meekness of character. This passage reminds us that we, too, should act like Jesus. Our actions should show our devotion to Him. 

Finally, we go back to the Gospel of Luke, where he tells us the story of The Last Supper. Jesus mentions that this is a Passover celebration. Passover is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt. However, Jesus wants it known that instead of making an animal sacrifice for the meal, He will be sacrificing Himself. This will begin a new tradition, as a way to "seal the deal" of the new covenant between man and God. When we partake in Holy Communion, we are recognizing the fact that our salvation was bought and paid for through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, acknowledging our belief in this. 

This is a good time to reflect on your own faith in Jesus. Are you willing to freely accept what He has given up for you? Are you willing to stand by your faith? This is also a good time to participate in the Sacrament of Reconcilliation. Speak of your sins and be willing to accept the consequences of them, thus clearing yourself to take part in communion. 

Be thoughtful and mindful this week, dear reader. And, as always.... be a nice human. 

**Senior, D., Collins, J. and Getty-Sullivan, M., n.d. The Catholic study Bible. (1995)

Hope springs eternal

Good Monday morning to you, dear reader! This morning I bring you the joyousness of miracles! 

Throughout the Gospels we see the many acts that Jesus performs that shows the people He is the true Messiah. These acts can be interpreted to mean that those who believe in Jesus Christ will have eternal life. The healings are a symbol of how His love can renew a broken soul. He brings us hope in life everlasting. 

This is a very similar message from what we discussed yesterday, that when we take what Jesus is offering, when we profess our faith in Him, He gives us new life and that we should celebrate that newness! "The things of the past shall not be remembered, or come to mind" (Is 65:17, NAB). He is reminding us that our past will not be held against us. That we need to leave the past in the past and celebrate the fact that we are His new creation! 

I think that's why Spring is always so glorious! We have survived the dormancy and cold of a long, dark winter and now it is a time to be renewed! I know how excited I was when I saw the first shoots of tulips show up in our front yard just a few weeks ago. And even though we have had snow and cold since then, those early blooms hung in there. In a few more weeks we will, once again, have beautiful flowers that herald the newness of Spring. 

Our faith is much the same. The seeds are planted and nurtured through God's words. The more we care for these little seeds, the greater our faith will be. Even when we feel like we're stuck, when life seems hopeless, we still have those little green shoots of faith. It's just a little harder to see them. We need to pull the weeds of doubt and despair so that our belief will bloom like beautiful flowers!

Examine your spirit today. Are you still in the dormancy of winter? Have you maybe let doubt creep in? Let todays word water your spirit. Let prayer be the fertilizer. Let your belief grow! Rejoice in His goodness! Remember, in a few short weeks, we will celebrate the resurrection and new life of Jesus! 

As always, dear reader, be a nice human. 😇

Here is a truly inspiring video from Jeremy Camp.. "Jesus Saves": https://youtu.be/d-dDZtm8yjM