Holy Week Readings with Spiritual Works

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 By Sister Rose Martina de Porres

My Lent has not gone well.  I gave up streaming Netflix and I miss it every day.  I resolved to read a book, “A Father Who Keeps His Promises” by Scott Hahn, and have only managed to read about a third of the book.  Adding to the experience, there have been two catered lunch celebrations that involved bar-be-que on Friday.  It has not been fun.  There are less than ten days left in Lent and I feel like Israel grumbling in the desert. 
 As I was sitting in traffic this morning listening to EWTN Catholic Radio, I was reminded that we are nearing Holy week and some of us have yet to start or others like me are limping along.  They had some suggestions based on the book, “Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live your Faith and Get into Heaven” by Patti Maguire Armstrong.  At the same time my thoughts wandered to Dr. Brandt Pitre’s, “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Holy Week”. Listen to an excerpt here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze1nAs8SBgw&spfreload=10.  Then an idea occurred to me, ‘Why not do both? Relive holy week in Scripture and perform various works.’  I have not been as faithful to my book reading but I can still try to finish as strong as I can within my everyday life while reliving Jesus’ last week.
Beginning Palm Sunday thru Easter a scripture passage will be posted.  I invite you to join me in reading the scripture passage and pondering what Jesus did in the days leading up to the resurrection.  At the end of each reading is a suggested Spiritual Work.  Use the suggestion or make up your own based on how the Spirit moves you as you ponder the scripture reading.  As Scripture states, “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. “        (1 Corinthians 9:25)

 
Palm Sunday
Mark 1:1-11
The Entry into Jerusalem.
 
When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone should say to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ reply, ‘The Master has need of it and will send it back here at once.’” So they went off and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street, and they untied it. Some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They answered them just as Jesus had told them to, and they permitted them to do it. So they brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out:
“Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!”
He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area. He looked around at everything and, since it was already late, went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
 
 
Spiritual Work:  Lay down your life for someone today by helping them.  Help someone especially when it means you must slow down.