Song Reflection for Holy Week

Jesus Went to the Garden  
Jesus went to the garden
And fell down on His kness
Jesus prayed in the garden
Of Gethsemane
Not my will but Yours be done
Father, not my will but Yours be done

Jesus went to the mountain
To bleed for you and me
Jesus died on the mountain
Called Calvary
Why have You forsaken me?
My God, why have You forsaken me?

Jesus rose on the third day
Triumphant over sin
Jesus spoke on the third day
To Mary Magdalene
Woman why are you crying?
He said, woman why are you crying?

Hallelujah, our Savior is alive
Hallelujah, He is alive
Hallelujah our Savior is alive

Jesus entered the heavens
Christ alone be praised
Jesus entered the heavens
Christ alone be praised
I will be with you always

Hallelujah, our Savior is alive
Hallelujah, He is alive
Hallelujah, He's coming back for us
Hallelujah, victorious
Lord of Heaven and earth
(Lord of all creation)
Lord of Heaven and eartyh

Jesus wnet to the garden
And fell down on His knees

How to Make a Palm (Sunday) Cross!

April 17th, 2011: Gospel Reflection II

Matthew 26:14-27:66

The most valuable reflection I can offer is to encourage you to re-read today’s Gospel, to really spend some quiet time putting yourself into the scene and asking what meaning this Palm Sunday has for your life. To help remind ourselves of the reality of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus it might also be helpful to watch The Passion of the Christ movie or a trailer for the movie (two versions below). What Jesus did is real…it is so easy for us to forget.

G-Rated:

More Realistic:

April 17th, 2011: Gospel Reflection I

Matthew 26:14-27:66 

Today’s Gospel retells the pinnacle of all human history; all creation is made new and brought to new life through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The most valuable reflection I can offer is to encourage you to re-read today’s Gospel, to really spend some quiet time putting yourself into the scene and asking what meaning this Palm Sunday has for your life. See some optional questions to guide that reflection below.

Judas betrays Jesus for 30 silver coins

-What are the ways that I ‘sell out’ Jesus by my actions or word to gain the ‘reward’ of pleasure, popularity, pride, convenience, etc.?

Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave thanks and said “This is my body…this is my blood”

-Do I believe that Jesus is made present in the Eucharist at Mass for us? Do I ask God to help me believe? When I struggle to believe who could I ask questions to or ask advice from?

Jesus asked his Disciples to stay and keep watch with Jesus while he prayed, but they fell asleep. Jesus says, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?”

-What are the times that I spend in conversation with God? Do I regularly spend enough time with God in prayer? How could I better keep holy Sunday as God’s day?

Jesus was scared and did not want to die, but said in prayer “not as I will, but as you will”

-Am I open to listening to what God wants from me? Do I have the courage to follow through with this even when I am asked to do something that I don’t want to do or am afraid of?

Jesus allowed himself to be condemned for something he did not do by Pontius Pilot

-Am I willing to be accused of something that I didn’t do? Do I always have to have the last word or have other people think that I am right? Is other people’s opinion of me one of the most important things to me?

Although it may be hard to do, put yourself in the perspective of Peter. He was so eager and confident that he would not betray Jesus yet he denied Jesus three times.

-What are the times that I deny my faith through what I do and say or what I fail to do and say?

What are the crosses I bear in my life? Am I willing to offer them up to God and to ask Him to help me carry them?

April 10th, 2011: Gospel Reflection II

The Raising of Lazarus

John 11:1-45

 Reflection/Discussion Questions:

-Who is someone you know who is suffering externally or internally, out loud or silently?

-How could you bring God’s healing love to them by walking with them?

-What is something in your life that you need to let die, to let go of so that God can be more alive in you?

-What would your response to God be if someone close to you died? (what was it if this has happened to you?)

-Does remembering God’s promise of eternal life change that response? Why or why not?

Van Gogh's depiction...a bit classier.

Friday Inspiration - Thank You

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

- Meister Eckhart

After visiting China a few years ago, there are only two phrases I remember: “hello” and “thank you.” They’re among the most significant phrases in any language because they express two important Christian values: hospitality and gratitude. How we greet people speaks to who we are individually and communally. When we greet someone joyfully and earnestly, we recognize the dignity of that person and they feel welcomed and loved. Ditto when we say “thank you.” “Thank you” represents genuine appreciation for who that person is and whatever they have done. “Thank you” recognizes the gift of hard work and dedication. A “thank you” says you matter to me and I appreciate your time. But within the context of our faith, a “thank you” means something more; it acknowledges the imitation of Christ’s self-giving, self-emptying love in the other.

Say thank you to someone you love and someone you don't know -- and really mean it!

April 10th, 2011: Gospel Reflection I

The Raising of Lazarus

John 11:1-45

   Today’s Gospel is surprisingly relatable to our lives and offers us a challenge.

   Jesus is moved to tears of sadness for love of his friend. His friend Lazarus is dying and he goes to visit him. Unfortunately, Lazarus had died before Jesus arrived and so Jesus comforts his family. Most of us can place ourselves in Jesus’ shoes: comforting those who are mourning (it’s one of the corporal works of mercy…if this is a new phrase to you it is worth googling!).

   Yet Jesus knows that death is not the end of life, it is entrance into everlasting life. We sometimes get stuck in end-oriented thinking and Jesus is trying to break that thinking: if death is not the end to life then we have to think differently about both death and how we live our life.

   Jesus’ intention is to:

      1. Bring healing and love to Lazarus and his family

      2. Show God’s power and love made present in Jesus

      3. Foreshadow his own resurrection

    He accomplishes all three by raising Lazarus from the dead.

   We are not called to raise people from the dead, but we are called to be agents of transformation through our interaction with others. We are called and commissioned to walk with others through the Paschal Mystery (the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus) that is made present in each of our lives. Each of us will encounter sufferings and deaths in our lives. The response of the Christian is to place our faith in God’s abundant love (like Martha and Mary in today’s Gospel), unite those sufferings and deaths to Jesus’ Paschal Mystery and to rise with Jesus, as Lazarus did, a new creation. Transformed.

   There is no resurrection without death, no transformation without suffering. To be a Christian is not to avoid suffering and death but to emerge risen and transformed. Sometimes this means taking a difficult look at our lives to see the parts that we need to let die or being heroic in walking with others through their sufferings without losing faith.

Van Gogh's depiction...a bit classier.