by Sr. Carol Schumer, D.C., St. Louis, MO
READINGS: Isaiah 50:4-7 ~ Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; Philippians 2:6-11 ~ Mark 14:1-15:47
From intimacy to abandonment,
from exultation to condemnation,
from adoration to torture,
from ecstasy to agony,
from “Hosanna!” to “Crucify!”
All in one Scripture passage, in one liturgical celebration,
in one Sunday!
Today we walk with Jesus, as his followers, from his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem through his anointing, his last Passover meal and his prayer in Gethsemane, through arrest, denial, treachery, rejection and finally to his heart-rending death on Golgotha. With many others we travel.
With whom do I identify?
The gracious host, the brave woman with perfumed oil, one of his table companions; an exhausted friend, the deceived betrayer, the terrified youth; a witness, his questioner, a religious leader, a guard; the released rebel, the weak ruler, a person in the crowd; the vowing-disowning-weeping confidante, the able-bodied passer-by, a silent bystander, the thoughtful drink-giver; a faithful minister, the distinguished council member, the death informer, a devoted watcher and disciple?
Mark’s gospel account (only 119 verses in length) puts before us multiple personalities, filled with diverse and deeply-felt emotions, behaving in a spectrum of human ways. Let us make time this day, this week to journey with Jesus, allowing his love and commitment to God’s will and our salvation to embrace and permeate our souls.
TRY THIS TODAY: Sit in God’s presence and ask yourself,
• as a Lady of Charity, where am I in this story?
• where do I fit in the drama of this passionate experience?