Call to worship
Let us pray for Christians all over the world that this week’s celebration of Holy Week may be us renewal and deepen our faith. This is the Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, one of our holiest days. We commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The events of this week would change the world forever. Let us enter the spirit of this celebration and reflect on the final week of Jesus’ life. We prepare our hearts for the agony of His Passion and the joy of His Resurrection.
Centering prayers
The Procession
(Mark 1: 1-10)
Look! Before and after, the crowds spread their cloaks
and crying, “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest”!
They cut down leafy branches from the fields,
making the way for him to enter Jerusalem.
Hosanna! Jesus of Nazareth, eternal joy!
Our God, walking along beside us!
Our Lord who leads us to grace!
Our king crowned with thorns, our beloved, our hero!
Loving us all the way to the cross!
The Gospel
(Mark 14:1- 15: 47)
“A woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly genuine spikenard.
She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.”
In she rushed. She broke the jar, listening to her heart,
she poured oil, out upon Jesus. He did not shield his face
from pounding and spitting,
nor answer when they obscured his eyes
and jeered, “Who struck you?’’ But instead he quickly
emptied himself, for he so loved the world.
Christ, teach us to pour out everything except you.
The First Reading
(Isaiah 50: 4-7)
“All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips.”
Jeremiah, Rutilio Grande, Romero, Dorothy Day:
morning after morning, you opened their eyes.
Sunrise to sunset, open our eyes too!
that we may see you in all things.
Let us, too, hear the cry of the poor, the sick, the starving children,
and the cry of the planet. Let us speak and act on their behalf.
Open our hearts that we may love you, holding nothing back, nothing at all.
The Second Reading
(Philippians 2: 6-11)
“He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness.”
Christ, you emptied yourself. No self-concern, no turning back.
Teach us to love this way. Filled with your Spirit,
let us surrender into your love.
Copyright © 2021, Anne M. Osdieck
Music for reflection