Vol. 5 No. 28 DoM Gospel Reflection—
Palm Sunday and the Lord’s Passion from Mary’s Perspective —Luke 19:28-40
March 20, 2016
By: Libby Little
The Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was to fulfill the will of God. Jesus went there knowing full well what awaited him-betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion. It is just days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of his Passion. The crowds, who believe in Jesus, are gathered as he descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem welcomed and hailed him by laying their cloaks on the ground in front of him and small branches of palm trees, singing, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord…” Jesus, the king, enters the city on a donkey colt that had never been ridden and had been brought to him by two disciples at Jesus’s request. In the Eastern tradition, the donkey is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. Jesus’ meek and humble entry into Jerusalem symbolized his arrival as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king. As he enters and looks at the city, he weeps over it, foretelling the suffering that awaits the city. The crowds who welcome the king with palms and Hosannas will be the same people who will soon crucify him.
Toward the end of that week, Jesus and his apostles share a meal, The Last Supper, which provides the scriptural basis for “Holy Communion.” During the meal, he predicts betrayal by one of the apostles and then prepares for his departure giving the new commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” After the meal, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, tried, and then crucified.
As stated earlier, this triumphal entry into Jerusalem is the beginning of the Passion of our Lord. Let’s take a look at the Passion now. Only, this time I would like to look through the eyes of Mary, his mother. How did this mother feel as she watched her son walk to his eminent death on a cross? Let us, Daughters of Mary, walk by her side as she walks the road to Calvary, emphasizing her sense of sorrow and surrender. Mary endured suffering as she saw her son suffer but she could persevere because she exalted God. Mary is our model for TRUST in God’s eternal purposes. Finite people seldom understand God’s eternal purposes. Even if God does not remove the suffering or explain its purpose, He still can be trusted. A believer’s union with Jesus includes suffering in this world. But He always supplies the power to persevere through our suffering.
Were you there when they condemned my Lord?-Mary watches her son stand before Pilate as an innocent man and being condemned to die. It doesn’t seem fair, what did he ever do to deserve this? He was bruised and bleeding yet when Pilate asks what he has done, the people shout “Crucify him.” How often do we condemn innocent people? How often do we judge people because they are different than we are or believe differently than we believe? How often do we hold a grudge? Unfortunately, many are not condemned to death but condemned to life. A life of shame, anger, and worthlessness–the condemnation that is laid upon all of us. Mary wants to plead with them to stop, but she knows this has to be.
Jesus is condemned to Death
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Help me to recognize you not only in the saints and martyrs and those we consider holy, but help me to see you in the innocence of children, the wrinkles of the aged, the fears of the confused and the cries of the angry. Help me never to be executer of those who use words to condemn you today, in the name of false gods.
Were you there when they laid the cross upon his back? – As Mary walks with the crowds, she sees her son stumble out of a door while guards laugh and ridicule him. They drag a heavy wooden cross and drop it on his back. This is the cross on which he will be nailed and executed. She watches her son take up the weight of all the crosses, all of our senseless suffering, and the weight of all of the sin in the world-past, present, and future. Each step he takes causes the cross to cut deeper into his already battered shoulders.
Jesus Carries His Cross
Let us pray…Dear Lord-Give me the wisdom to realize that the cross was not your choice, but to carry it was. Give me the patience and the perseverance to bear the burdens that bring about my suffering. In your passion let me see possibilities, and in my crosses let me find courage. Help me to embrace the crosses which God sends to me with a willing and joyful heart.
Were you there when He fell upon his knee? -Mary watches Jesus as he is struggling and stumbling under the weight of the cross. Mary wanted so desperately to make them stop but there was nothing she could do but walk on and weep silently. She watched as her son was whipped and kicked as he was already down on his knees. Let us never kick someone when they are down. They already feel unworthy and weak. Many are overwhelmed with unfair burdens. Let us always pray for the grace to continue even in our struggles knowing we need God.
Jesus Falls the First Time
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-In your compassion you showed us how to overcome by having the grace to get up and continue. Let our weakness show us your grace so that we may depend upon you and know that, in our weakness, we are all the more in need of you.
Were you there when He looked into her eyes? – As Mary moved through the crowds to be close to her son, she called out to him and he stopped. Their eyes met and as they looked into each other’s eyes, her eyes were full of tears and anguish, his eyes full of pain and confusion. She knew her son understood the heart of every loving mother who grieves at the suffering of her children. Mary felt helpless but her son’s eyes expressed, “Courage, there is a purpose in this.”
Jesus Meets His Mother
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Give me the strength to accept the suffering of those that I love and the courage to endure in order to make their suffering redemptive. Out of our pain and out of our shame our God creates virtues that would never have existed had we not first suffered. I know you understand the heart of every mother who grieves at the suffering of her children. Help me, Lord, to let go, but also, to stay close, and to trust like Mary.
Were you there to help Him in his need? (Simon of Cyrene)– At this point, Mary could see almost complete helplessness on the face of her son as he tried to carry the heavy load. Each step looked as if it would be his last. Mary notices a man helping Jesus carry his cross and feels so relieved that he is getting some help. Mary knew that her son understood the gesture of help from a stranger. Jesus understood the experience of all of us who must depend on others, who can’t make it alone.
Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
Let us pray…
Dear Lord- Help me to recognize the “Simons” who are there with us in our darkest hour and wait with us until the day breaks. They are the ones who teach us— that when God closes one door he opens a window. Remove the pride in us and teach us that Simon was there for you and you will send him to us if only we will recognize him in our midst.
Were you there to wipe away His tears? (Veronica)-As Mary continues close by Jesus, she is indescribably saddened by the blood, the bruises, and swelling from the face beatings. Then, out of the crowd, Mary notices a woman whose compassion for Jesus was so great. The woman wiped his face with her veil, and oh, how Mary loved her for that. Mary was deeply touched by the look between them. As mothers, don’t we always feel love toward the people who show compassion to our children? Veronica has little to give but gives what she has, which was simply a cloth to wipe away his tears. It is said that, “Veronica was to the Passion what the little drummer boy was to the Nativity.”
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Give me the wisdom and willingness, like Veronica, to know that any gift from you can never be worthless. Fill our hearts with a generous spirit and show our gratitude by the lives we lead. When I become grateful then I become aware of God in our midst.
Were you there when He laid upon the ground?– Mary sees Jesus fall again and she is overwhelmed with grief. She thinks at this point he may die. She is helpless to help him. She tries to move closer but is prevented from doing so by soldiers. She feels bitter anguish as she sees her son fall again, get up, and fall again. Still she trusts in God that this had to be, so she walks on silently. Let us never forget that many who are suffering must confront the limits of their bodies.
Jesus Falls a Second Time
Let us pray…
Father-Open my eyes to realize that you are the only one who understands our weakness. Fill us with the knowledge that you do not demand perfection, only persistence. Give me the grace to get up again and again. Help me to realize that defeat comes only when we fail to try.
Were you there to see the pain in their face? – (Women of Jerusalem)-As Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, Mary’s heart is filled with even more love for Him. She has seen her son comfort so many groups of people during his life, now he comforts this group of crying women and children of Jerusalem. They aren’t here to condemn him, they are here to comfort him as he looks on them with love and compassion. He tells them not to shed tears for him but for themselves, tears that would bring their conversion. Soon they would understand that this suffering they are witnessing so closely is for them. Mary prays for the Lord to forgive our blindness so that we see our own sinfulness rather than always seeing the faults of others.
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Help me not to be discouraged by my humanness. Help me to be the person that I profess to be. Help me to define and face myself with self-compassion, so I can search for the face of God in every person I meet. Give me the grace to give to all in need, the strength and courage that you have given to me. Let those around me encourage me in my struggles, so that I may become what you have called me to be.
Were you there when He tried and fell again?-Mary sees Jesus fall again…more accurately collapse. She feels agony as he lay upon the rocky ground, his arms spread out and his face in the dirt. Her son has endured such a beating and has lost so much blood. He is almost to the top of the hill of crucifixion and the soldiers are screaming at him and dragging him the last few steps to Calvary. Mary’s heart is pounding as she anticipates what will happen to her son next. Still she continues because she trusts that this has to be.
Jesus Falls a Third Time
Let us pray-
Dear Lord-Give me the strength to get up when my arms are too weary and my heart has lost all hope. Let me get up each day knowing, “I am not perfect, but I am not alone.” Give me the courage to go on. Help me to realize that failing to try is giving up on you.
Were you there when they mocked and stripped our Lord?-Our Lord is stripped of his garments. Now Mary thinks that her son is finally relieved of the weight of the cross and that he will have a chance to rest. How painful for her to realize that now they will violate her son in a way intended to shame him by executing him naked. They will strip him of any dignity and re-open wounds, exposed for everyone to see. She grieves to see her son so vulnerable and defenseless and the sight of her son in so much pain is unbearable.
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Help me to never use the gifts you have given me to belittle others. Enable me to have faith when I am stripped of my pride and left cold and bare. Let me not be afraid of who I am. Let me be humbled and clothe myself with your love and your presence. In you, I find comfort. In you, I find protection.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the cross?--Mary watches as they throw her son’s body on the cross, his arms outstretched. He willingly allowed himself to be nailed and Mary hears the sound of the hammer hitting the nails as they puncture his hands, the hands that touched and healed so many. And finally his feet are nailed to the cross. As they lifted up the cross, there was her son whom she loved so much being scorned as he struggled for the last few moments of his earthly life.
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Remove the hammers of religious self-righteousness that enable us to justifiably condemn others remembering that the nails are so sharp and the wounds so deep. Give us the courage to be reconcilers, not crucifiers. Let my own sins remind me of the need for consolation-not condemnation.
Were you there when He died upon the cross?-What greater pain is there for a mother than to see her son die right before her eyes? Mary, who had brought this savior into the world and watched him grow, stood helplessly beneath the cross as he struggled with incredible courage and compassion to speak his last words of mercy and love, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit…” Mary mourns as her son takes his last breath and dies.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Help me to let go of the crosses that I have carried for so long. The cross of guilt, the cross of pain and brokenness, the cross of burden, the cross of fear and loneliness. Give me faith to let go, and know my struggle is over. By your death and resurrection, bring me, Lord, to the joy of a new life.
Were you there when they laid Him in her arms?-Now the crowd has gone and the noise has subsided. There, at the foot of the cross, Mary’s heart is torn by grief, still she trusts in God’s promise. Mary waits for what seemed like a long time before they took his lifeless body off the cross. Two men take the body and place it in her arms, a deep sorrow engulfs her being. Life had ended so cruelly for her son but she knew this had to be so she prayed silently as she held her son.
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
Let us pray…
Dear Lord- Let us love enough to forgive even when others have gone too far. Let our love be a decision, not an investment. Help us to love even the unlovable, the ungrateful, and the unchangeable. And let our final act of love enable us to be with others, even when all we can do is cradle them in our arms and weep.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?-Jesus’s body is brought to a tomb and Mary arranged it as she wept. No mother should ever have to bury a child. As Mary takes one more look at her loving son before walking out, she silently weeps and silently rejoices. Her son’s suffering is over. As Mary walks out, they close the tomb and before Mary leaves she thinks, “I know this had to be….it had to be for you! I will wait in faith silently.” She had faith that Jesus must have known that the father who sent him would give life that would never die. In just a few days, this tomb would be empty and forever a sign of Jesus’ surrender to the forces of sin and death, for all of us.
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
Let us pray…
Dear Lord-Help me to trust that death was the right thing. Give me the wisdom to know that you will be there for us in the darkness and doubt. Give us comfort when we are cold and alone. Give me the grace to know that you are always there to guide and guard me. You will bring me through the darkness of the night, into the dawn of a new day.
Were you there when He rose up to a new life?– How empty Mary felt living without her son whom she loved so deeply. But just two days later that emptiness was filled beyond belief—He has risen! Our savior had opened the doors to new life. That is the way it had to be…because His endless and undying love for us would not stop at anything less. Mary could rejoice forever…but not in silence. Now we can thank Jesus, our savior, for the endless love that helps me to rise out of my own sinfulness. Help us to always remember that endless and undying love.
The Resurrection of our Lord
Let us pray…
Dear Lord- I am not just alive, I have a new life- the life of a believer. You create virtues within me that never would have existed had I not first suffered. Help us never to despair and to realize that death did not triumph. Through the suffering, crucifixion, and death of your son, you have brought us to the joy of the Resurrection, a new and everlasting life.
The master of humility is Christ who humbled himself and became obedient even to death, even to death on a cross.
Author Info
