Triumphant Entry, Then Crucifixion

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday.  It is the day Christians celebrate the story of Christ’s triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem in the days leading up to the observance of the Jewish Passover and the fascinating recounting of the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord in the year 33 AD.  It is indeed a triumphant entry, complete with a large crowd of Christ’s followers shouting "Hosanna in the highest" (giving the highest praise to God) and laying palm branches on the ground in front of him as he rode along on the back of a donkey.  This is another one of those times when I wish I were there in order to observe first-hand this awesome spectacle.   How many followers were there?  How loud were they?  How many non-believers were there and what were they thinking?  We’ve all heard this Gospel story.  The tide turns and in just a couple of days, the crowds were yelling “Crucify him.”  And then this latter crowd wins out.  Christ is crucified.  What happened?

Let’s look at the “How many …?” questions posed above.  I’ve researched this and found that the apparent prevailing opinion among the historians is that there were between 300,000 and 500,000 people in Jerusalem and the surrounding territory for the Passover.  My reaction was one of extreme disbelief.  How could there be that many people in one place at one time back in the first century?  And how many believers?  The largest crowd of the followers of Jesus I’ve ever seen mentioned in the Scriptures was a crowd of 5,000, which was at the multiplication of the loaves and fish.  I’m thinking that the believers were outnumbered by as much as one hundred to one at the Passover.  It would seem that the Scribes and the Pharisees probably didn’t have to work very hard to incite a fairly large crowd to oppose the believers!  But all is well that ends well.  Yes, Christ was crucified, but the gates of heaven were opened; he rose from the dead as he had promised; and his church lives on 2000 years later.

I’ve had just one other Thursday Thought today.  Where did 500,000 people spend the night?  I’m currently reading the classic book “The Day Christ Died” by Jim Bishop.  He speculates early-on in the book that the countryside around Jerusalem was covered with tents that week.  Where did all the tents come from?  Well, Saul of Tarsus was a tentmaker, was he not?  And St. Peter was a fisherman.  Besides perhaps shepherding, wheat farming and wine making, I’m thinking that those two occupations were very lucrative, especially around the time of the Passover.

My prayer today:  Dear Lord, help me to carry my cross without complaining as you did all those years ago on the road to Calvary.  Amen.

Two False Conjectures

I’ve heard it said that Judas Iscariot was condemned to hell because he betrayed Jesus.  I’ve also heard it said that Christians harbor resentment against the Jewish people because they blame the Jewish people for the crucifixion and death of Jesus.  I have some thoughts on both of these conjectures.

First, Judas.  It is true that Jesus, in reference to Judas, said:  “It is better for that man if he had never been born” (Matthew 26:24).  Okay, so he was condemned to hell.  But I believe it may have been for a different reason than that stated above.  Betraying the Son of God (resulting in His death) is obviously very serious indeed.  However, in reference to Judas, the Gospels say He “ ….went out and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).  To me, that was his sin – the sin of despair.  I can’t help but think that if he would have come back to Jesus and begged forgiveness (ie., repented), he would have won heaven.

Second, the Jewish people.  If some Christians harbor resentment against the Jewish people for the reason stated, then I say that those Christians are wrong.  My thought on this is that it was necessary for Christ to suffer and die because that was what saved mankind from their sins.  And that was Jesus’ purpose in becoming man.  Regardless of the role anyone played in the crucifixion and death, it had to happen.  By the way, this applies to Judas as well.  Someone had to betray Christ, or mankind would not have been saved from their sinfulness.  In my opinion, if Judas had only repented, we would be calling him St. Judas.

My prayer today is this:  Lord, please give me the grace to always repent of serious sin and the humility to never to harbor resentment against anyone.  Amen.

The photo is of a large cross seen alongside a hiking trail on the campus of the International Schoenstatt Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin.  

Spying on Jesus?

Today, I’m thinking of the agony felt by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  It is a story recounted in three of the four gospels, those of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and showcased by the Catholic Church as the first sorrowful mystery of the rosary.  It takes place immediately after Jesus institutes the Sacrament of the Eucharist in the upper room and immediately before he is betrayed by Judas and arrested in this same garden.  Aside from the obvious (the sins of mankind weighing on him), it is interesting to me for two reasons:  1) Jesus is totally alone when he experienced the agony, and 2) Jesus gives us another lesson in prayer. 

According to Matthew, Jesus asks his apostles to “wait here while I go over there and pray.”  According to Luke, he separates from them by “about a stone’s throw.”  So he is alone while he kneels and prays, asking the Father to, according to Luke, “… take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”  Luke says that “He was in such agony and prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.”  It seems to me that there might have been a witness to this agony, since such details were recorded by the evangelists despite Jesus’ solitude.  Perhaps one or more of the apostles (that didn’t fall asleep), perhaps Matthew himself, spied on Jesus during this agony.  Of course, there are alternative explanations:  a supernatural inspiration by the Holy Spirit or a maybe when they met up again before the arrest there was some blood on Jesus’ face and the apostles asked him what had happened. 

But the most intriguing revelation in the story may be Jesus’ prayer.  It seems to match up with a phrase from Lord’s Prayer:  “… thy will be done.”  I’m talking about the phrase “… not my will but yours be done.”  I’m inclined to think that a consideration of the Father’s will is important in any prayer we pray.  I’m inclined to think that if we don’t get what we want in prayer, maybe what we ask for is not according to the Father’s will.  In any case, I think it is important to utter “Thy will be done” whenever we pray for something.  After all, Jesus taught us to say that (the Lord’s Prayer) and even used the phrase himself (during the agony in the garden).

The photo is of a monolith found on the grounds of the Trinity Heights Center in Sioux City, Iowa, dedicated to this first sorrowful mystery of the rosary.

The Sacrament of Confirmation

Today I’m thinking about the sacrament of Confirmation.  Through the laying on of hands, anointing with chrism (oil) and prayer, the faith that a person has been given in Baptism is confirmed, meaning that the grace obtained in Baptism is completed and a person’s faith is strengthened by the Holy Spirit such that he/she is able to publicly profess the faith and live up to the role as an apostle for Christ.  We say that, in effect, the person has become a soldier for Christ.

Given the definition of “sacrament” (an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace), you might wonder, as I did, what Christ said or did that instituted this sacrament.  I did a little research.  Since it is so closely related to Baptism, passages supporting Baptism are the ones instituting Confirmation.  For example, we have Matthew 3:13-17 and John 1: 33-34, i.e., the gospel accounts of the Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River.  These include the coming of the Holy Spirit (like a dove) and the voice from heaven:  “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”  The early Christians apparently believed from this that, though someone was baptized, the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon the person.  See Acts 8: 14-17 and Acts 10:37-38.  Apparently, in order to complete and confirm the coming of the Holy Spirit, the anointing with oil and the laying on of the hands was understood to be required.  Jesus’ words in Matthew’s account were:  “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” 

Just as the apostles and the Blessed Mother received the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost, Catholics today receive the Holy Spirit at their Confirmation.  In the Catholic Church today, most members are baptized as infants and then, after they have received rudimentary education in Church teachings, usually in the teenage years, they receive this beautiful sacrament.  For those who join the Church as adults, Baptism and Confirmation are usually conferred together.

The photo (courtesy of Kevin Clark) shows Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln recently administering Confirmation to a young Catholic at St. Therese Parish in Lincoln.  

The Rich Man, the Camel, and the Eye of the Needle

This week, the plight of the poor is in my thoughts.  Besides practicing humility (see last week’s MTT) it seems to me that helping the poor is a major biblical theme and something we should be doing especially during Lent.  With this in mind, consider the parable of Lazarus (see Luke 16: 19-31).  A rich man, who since medieval times has been given the name Dives (Latin for “rich”), is lazy and indulges in food to an extreme (“feasts sumptuously every day”).  One can picture him as an extremely overweight bloke sitting at his table consuming, with no manners, every unhealthy food (by today’s standards) under the sun within his reach.  Then there is Lazarus, a poor man, “full of sores, who desires to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table.”  He was so indigent that dogs came and licked his sores.  Quickly after this stage is set, the story moves to what happens after Lazarus dies and is “carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom” (i.e., heaven).  Dives also dies and moves on to Hades (hell).  Dives can see Lazarus in heaven, however, and he is remorseful.  He asked Abraham to have mercy and to send Lazarus to him with a drop of water so that he may have even the smallest amount of relief.  Abraham responds saying that that is impossible because of the great chasm between heaven and hell – no one may cross from either side to the other.

And then something of great significance …. Dives wants Abraham to send Lazarus to earth to warn his family members so that they don’t suffer the same fate as him.  Abraham’s response?  “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”  So Abraham’s answer is “no.”  The obvious message is that once you die and find yourself in hell, it is too late to repent or to warn others back on earth to repent.  Once you die and find yourself in hell, you can no longer do anything to help the poor.  Once you die and find yourself in hell, it is too late to deliver a message to the poor.  Once you die and find yourself in hell, you can no longer do good works to help your fellow man.  Once you die and find yourself in hell, it is not possible for someone in heaven to help you.

Jesus further addresses this elsewhere in Scripture (Matthew 19:24) saying that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven.  He says that it is like trying to pass a camel through the eye of a needle.  But then he also said in the same breath:  “Nothing is impossible with God.”  It seems to me that the message is this:  We must give generously to help the poor and pray to God for those who refuse to do that so that they may get this message before they die.

Here is a photo of camel.  I don't know what a needle looked like back in the first century, but I don't think this camel would have been able to pass through the eye.  If the camel is a rich man and the passing through the eye of a needle is his entry into heaven, what do you think?  Impossible?  Let us, you and me, try praying!  Nothing is impossible for God.

Humility, Humility, Always Humility

Lent began yesterday, Ash Wednesday, February 18.  Lent is a time of intense humility.  Even a casual reading of Scripture should inform each of us how important this virtue is in for our salvation. 

Consider the liturgy for the Ash Wednesday Mass.  In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us of the right and wrong reasons for performing righteous deeds.  He says to perform them not to impress others or that we might win the praise of others.  In colorful language, He tells us not to “blow a trumpet” or stand and pray on street corners for the express purpose that others see us.  He says that when we fast, we should strive not to let others know that we are fasting.  If we try to make a show of our self-sacrifices, he says that we will have no recompense from our heavenly Father.  He says that we should give alms in secret, and when we pray, to go to our inner room, close the door and pray in secret.  He says that, despite the secrecy, our heavenly Father will see us and will repay us.

But more than such humility in prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, Scripture talks about this great virtue in our everyday lives as well.  For example, boasting about what good things we may have accomplished in our jobs, in our families, or in our finances is the opposite of humility and we should strive to avoid it.  I like the story of the tax collector and the Pharisee in Luke, Chapter 18.  The Pharisee was bragging to and thanking God that he was not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, and adulterous – while the tax collector prayed “O, God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  Jesus concluded the parable with the famous verse:  “… for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Apparently, it is those who live their earthly lives being mostly silent about their accomplishments who will be worthy of all praise in heaven, while those who fail to practice humility will ultimately be humbled and will not be justified.

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), had this to say:  “Humility, humility, always humility.  Satan fears and trembles before humble souls.  The Lord is willing to do great things, but on condition that we are truly humble.”  My prayer for today is this:  Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner, and enter into my heart and soul and make me truly humble so that I may be exalted on judgment day.  Amen.

The photo is of the statue of Padre Pio in the grounds of the Trinity Heights Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Song of St. Bernadette

Yesterday, February 11, was the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Catholic Church.  This memorial celebrates one of the more famous apparitions of the Blessed Mother in history.  On February 11, 1858, the Blessed Mother appeared to one Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes, France, in a hollow of a massive rock at a place known as Massabielle.  Bernadette was fourteen years old at the time.  She was from a poor family and was a weak child who suffered from asthma all her life.  She was also a poor student in school.  This apparition was the first of eighteen total, with the final appearance occurring on July 16 of that same year.  Details, in Bernadette’s own words, are found on pages 114-115 in a book titled “See How She Loves Us” by Joan Carroll Cruz (TAN, 2012). 

During the ninth visit, Bernadette was told to “drink from the fountain and bathe in it.”  In search of this “fountain,” she scratched the ground where she was until a small pool of water miraculously appeared.  She then willingly obeyed the Blessed Mother’s request.  This underground spring eventually became a flowing river and is the source of many miraculous healings to this day.  When asked about her identity during the sixteenth apparition, she responded and said “I am the Immaculate Conception.”  It was four years earlier, before the start of the apparitions, that Pope Pius IX had declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother to be an article of faith to be believed by all Catholics. 

Bernadette eventually became a Sister of Charity of Nevers.  The motherhouse is located in Nevers, France.  She suffered from tuberculosis and died of this disease on April 16, 1879.  Her body is incorrupt, and can be viewed today in a gold and glass case in the chapel of the motherhouse in Nevers, France.  A large basilica was constructed on the site of the apparitions, next to the flowing water from the spring.  It is a pilgrimage site today, and many lame and infirm Christians come to the basilica and to the water hoping for a miraculous cure.  Many such cures have been documented.  It is estimated that five million people visit the site each year.  One of my daughters visited this shrine some years ago and purchased a bottle of the water.  I now have this water in my house behind me on a shelf as I write this.  Bernadette was declared a saint of the Catholic Church in 1933.

A movie was made of this story.  It is entitled “The Song of Bernadette” and it hit the big screen in 1943, following the publication of an historical novel of the same title in 1941.  The movie won four academy awards, including Jennifer Jones for best actress in a leading role, and was nominated for eight others.  It also won the Golden Globe award for best picture that same year.

The photograph below is that of a replica of the site of the apparitions located on the grounds of Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  A statue of a kneeling St. Bernadette is on the left and a statue of the Blessed Mother in the hollow of the rock is on the right.