Opening prayer: Blessed are you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though his blood, you established a new covenant with your people. You accepted the obedience of your Son, who embraced suffering and death to be faithful to your will. By raising him to new life, you filled us with hope. Sustain our hope when we face suffering in our lives. Bring us one day to the glory of his resurrection. And now be with us as we seek to deepen our appreciation of the great sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sharing life: What are you most and least grateful for this past week?

Facilitator reads focus statement: This weekend, we begin the holiest week of our church year, Holy Week. We recall and enter into the central events in the life of Jesus, his suffering, death and resurrection. The readings for Passion Sunday revolve around the two meanings of the word "passion." Paul's letter to the Philippians illustrates how these meanings intertwine. Christ felt such passion (love) for humanity that he took on our human condition and endured the most extreme passion (suffering) we can imagine as the servant of God.

If not reading the Passion, consider reading the other assigned readings, pausing briefly at the end of each reading.

FIRST READING: Isaiah 50: 4-7

This reading is the third of four "suffering servant songs" found in the book of Isaiah. As the early Christians read these passages, they saw in them images of Jesus, the Suffering Servant of God.

As we listen to this reading we can see why it was chosen for today's liturgy. The servant speaks of himself as a preacher of God's word. God opens his ear every day to receive the word and he has been faithful in proclaiming it to others.

Those to whom he proclaimed it, however, have often not responded with gratitude. He has been beaten, spit upon, and had his beard plucked. Despite this abuse, however, he remains steadfast, relying on God as his strength. "The Lord is my help. I will not be disgraced." The phrase: "set my face like flint" refers to the servant's determination to be faithful to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

This is a prayer of lament describing the suffering of the psalmist and his deliverance. Jesus on the cross makes this psalm his own.

SECOND READING: Philippians 2: 6-11

Writing from prison, Paul is addressing a community with proud and independent ways. They often bicker among themselves. Paul admonishes the people to set aside their bickering ways and to live in harmony. He holds up to them as a model "the attitude of Christ", who "emptied himself" and became a slave. Notice in this beautiful and well-structured hymn, a downward and upward movement. Jesus taking on our human status is the downward movement. Though equal to God, Jesus did not cling to his divinity for his own ends. Without losing his godlike status, he took on the likeness of human beings. He experienced humiliation and debasement that few humans suffer. Having experienced the depths of human suffering and having been totally faithful to his mission, God "exalted" him and bestowed on him a name above every other name. (This is the upward movement in this hymn.) The entire universe is brought under his lordship and all bend down before him. Like the servant in the first reading, God came to the help of Jesus, the servant par excellence, and gave him the name "Lord", a name given only to God in the Old Testament. In and through his weakness, obedience, and servant-like attitude, Jesus achieved greatness and Lordship.

THE PASSION OF JESUS ACCORDING TO MARK 14: 1-15, 47

The suffering and death of Jesus is the centerpiece of Mark's gospel. Hints of the passion are found already in chapters 1-2 and by chapter 3; a plot against Jesus is being planned. Halfway through the gospel, Mark has Jesus predicting three times the details of his passion. In chapter 11, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the events which this Sunday's liturgy enacts ritually. Six of the 16 chapters of Mark are devoted exclusively to the last week of Jesus' life. This has led scholars to call Mark's gospel a "passion narrative with an extended introduction." Two central themes to watch for in Mark's gospel are:

The contrast between Jesus' fidelity to God and his mission no matter what the cost, and the infidelity of the disciples and crowds. Jesus has no desire to die. He prays three times that God would spare him, but if fidelity to God and his mission involved embracing the cross and death, he was willing to do this. This fidelity is expressed in his wonderful prayer of surrender, "Not my will but your will be done". In stark contrast we notice weakness and infidelity in the disciples. They fall asleep when Jesus needs their support in the garden. Peter, the leader, denies Jesus. Judas betrays him. At the time of his arrest they "all fled and left him". At the time of his trial, the crowds who had previously sang his praises now chanted "Crucify him! Crucify him!" But not all were unfaithful. A few women remained faithful. One anointed him; others kept watch as he died on the cross.

Mark's passion presents us with a very human picture of Jesus. In the garden, he begs the Father three times to free him from dying. We can feel Jesus' disappointment when he finds his beloved disciples asleep not just once but three times. What must he have felt when all his disciples "fled and left him"? How painful it must have been for Jesus to hear the crowds call for the release of the criminal Barabbas and call for Jesus' crucifixion. Then consider the scourging of his body, the crowning with thorns, the crucifixion and most of all the sense of his Father abandoning him: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is a cry of one steeped in human agony. Jesus paid the ultimate price for fidelity to his call.

A woman and a betrayer

Mark's passion opens with a beautiful story of a woman showing very tender love for Jesus. This story is sandwiched or bracketed by two ugly scenes: The chief priests looking for a way to arrest Jesus and Judas plotting with them for a way to hand Jesus over to his enemies. There is a strong contrast between the two scenes.

Betrayal within the Eucharist

Using his characteristic bracketing technique, Mark places a conversation about betrayal in between Preparation for the Last Supper and the actual Last Supper.

Gethsemane

After the Last Supper, Jesus went out to Gethsemane with Peter, James and John. Peter had just said how he would stand by Jesus no matter what. Earlier in the gospel, James and John asserted that they could "drink the cup of suffering" with Jesus. Now we see the vast difference between words and actions. They fall asleep when Jesus most needed their support. Later they will all flee and Peter will deny Jesus. In contrast, Jesus remains faithful to God but not without a struggle. He hopes against hope for a way other than the way of the cross. In the end he surrenders to God's will "not my will but your will ..." In John 4:34 the Apostles were offering Jesus food. He responded: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me." In the Passion event, it is important for us to remember that God is not demanding that Jesus die a cruel death. Rather he wants Jesus to be faithful to his mission even if it meant a cruel death. It was in truth the sin of humanity that brought about Jesus' sufferings and death.

The Arrest of Jesus

In this scene we witness further the abandonment of Jesus. We just read how Jesus was abandoned through the human weakness of Peter, James and John. Now, we have the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. He treats Jesus as a friend by kissing him and at the same time uses the kiss to point Jesus out to the authorities. Then Mark tells us "all left him and fled". Jesus is now left alone with his enemies. Not one of his friends shows faithful discipleship. In contrast, Jesus shows himself to be fearless and speaks up with dignity to those who come to arrest him.

Peter's Denial and the Trial of Jesus

The trial of Jesus was a farce. Trials were not allowed at night. False witnesses failed to agree with each other. During his trial, Jesus continues to show himself to be courageous and confident. When he declared himself to be the Christ, the blessed one, he knew he was signing his own death sentence and yet he did it. Then follows the threefold denials of Peter.

These two stories are another example of contrast so strong in Mark's Passion. As two examples of behavior under pressure, Jesus shows us what to do and Peter show us what not to do. Jesus exemplifies courage, Peter cowardice. Jesus, while losing his life through steadfast witness, ultimately saves it; Peter, trying to save himself, in fact, condemns himself. Readers are called to follow Jesus. We notice that during his trial, Jesus does affirm that he is the "Christ, the son of the Blessed One."

Jesus before Pilate

Then Jesus is brought before the Jewish and Roman authorities. Both share in the brutal humiliation of Jesus. Pilate believes Jesus to be innocent, but he is too much of a crowd-pleaser to let him go free. He shows himself to be a coward just as Jesus shows himself to be fearless and strong, the innocent sufferer, who identifies with all who are unjustly and falsely accused. The crowds also fail Jesus, choosing a criminal before him.

The Crucifixion

Jesus is led away to Golgotha to be crucified. A stranger named Simeon is forced to help Jesus carry his cross. After Jesus is crucified the bystanders mock and verbally abuse him. Darkness covers the land for three hours. In this time of darkness Jesus even feels abandoned by God. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" Sin separates us from God. Having taken the weight of the sin of humanity upon his shoulders, Jesus experiences separation from God.

"The veil of the temple is torn in two from top to bottom". This was the veil that separated people from the Holy of Holies into which no one was allowed to go except the High Priest. Now the veil was torn back and the way to God is now wide open to all and not just to the High Priest. Then a Gentile soldier, a most unlikely one, recognizes the true identity of Jesus: "Truly this man was the Son of God." We notice the presence of the women who continued to follow Jesus after all his male disciples had fled.

The Burial

In the early days of Christianity, some may have claimed that Jesus never really died. So it was important for Mark to include an account of Jesus' burial so that people would know that Jesus really died. Dying is an essential dimension of being a human person. Joseph of Arimathea, a devout Jew and a member of the Council, showed himself to be an admirer of Jesus, by asking Pilate for his body so that he could give it a proper burial.

FAITH SHARING QUESTIONS

1. What strikes you most about the servant in the first reading? In what way would you like to be more like him?

2. The second reading speaks of the "self-emptying" of Christ; his humiliation led to his exaltation. Can you name one example where being brought low led to growth in your life?

3. Which scene in the passion stirs you the most? Why?

4. The Triduum will be celebrated this Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil. They are the most important liturgies of our church year. Do you normally attend these services? If yes, what moves you to do so? If not, why not?

RESPONDING TO GOD'S WORD

Name one way you can act on the readings. Suggestions: Be a Simeon to someone carrying a cross. Reflect on what "self-emptying" needs to occur in you so that you will be more filled up with Christ.

CONCLUDE WITH PRAYERS OF PETITION AND INTERCESSION

Especially pray for all who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit, and for their caregivers. Pray that many people will participate in our Holy Week services.