PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION
March 23 & March 24, 2024
REFLECTION ON TODAY'S READING
Blessed is the Lord Begin your day by praising Jesus, who comes to meet us surrounded by his people. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Mk. 11:1-10). "It is the spontaneous song and joy of so many who were touched by Jesus, that cry out, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" How can we not praise the One who had restored their dignity and hope? It is the joy of so many forgiven sinners who have returned to trust and hope" (Pope Francis). Each one of us, we have many reasons, to praise, to cry out to our God... We join so many sinners who were forgiven, healed... What is the reason for your cry to God today... What is the reason for your praise to God...?
Under the directive from the Diocese of Honolulu
St. Joseph Church has set up an egiving program to allow parishioners and guests an easier way to give. It will also allow the donors to: 1. Give from anywhere using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. 2. No need to find a check or stop by the ATM. 3. Use your Checking/Savings Account or your Debit/Credit Card. 4. Schedule gifts to occur automatically. Click on the give now link or on your phone using my parish app. “All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 16:17
Online donations may be made at any time from the comfort of your own home or any place with internet access. Online donations are credited to your tax statement for the end of the year (except when made anonymously)and you can change your account preferences and donation amounts at any time.
New documents from the Vatican:
Saint Joseph Church Makawao - Bulletin
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This Sunday, called Palm or Passion Sunday, is the first day of Holy Week. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday are called the Triduum—three days that are the highlight of the Church year. There are two Gospels proclaimed at today’s Mass. The first Gospel, proclaimed before the procession with palms, tells of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Riding on a borrowed colt, Jesus was hailed by the crowds as they blessed God and shouted “Hosanna!” This event is reported in each of the four Gospels.
At the Liturgy of the Word on Palm Sunday, the events of Jesus’ passion are proclaimed in their entirety. In Lectionary Cycle B, we read the passion of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Mark. We will hear these events proclaimed again when we celebrate the Triduum later in the week. On Good Friday, we will read the passion of Jesus from the Gospel of John.
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ passion and death are presented as the consequence of the tension between the Jewish authorities and Jesus that had been building throughout his public ministry. This tension reached its breaking point when Jesus drove the merchants and moneychangers from the Temple. After this event, the chief priests and scribes began seeking a way to put Jesus to death, and yet, this is only the surface explanation for his death.
When Jesus was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin—the council of Jewish priests, scribes, and elders—he was charged with blasphemy, citing his threat to the Temple. When he was brought before Pilate, however, the religious authorities presented his crime as a political one, charging that Jesus claimed to be king of the Jews. In continuity with a theme of Mark’s Gospel, the messianic claim of Jesus is widely misunderstood.
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ disciples are rarely models of faith and do little to invoke confidence in their capacity to continue his ministry after his death. They fare no better in Mark’s narrative of Jesus’ passion and death. At the Last Supper, the disciples insisted that none among them would betray Jesus. When Jesus predicted that their faith would be shaken in the events ahead, Peter and the other disciples protested vehemently. Yet in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus returned three times to find them sleeping. Jesus prayed in agony over his impending fate while his disciples slumbered through the night. Just as Jesus predicted, Peter denied Jesus, and the disciples were absent during Jesus’ passion and death. Only the women who had been followers of Jesus in Galilee are said to have been present at the Crucifixion, but they remained at a distance.
Throughout this Gospel, Mark challenges the reader to consider the claim with which the Gospel begins: Jesus is the Son of God. When we read Mark’s account of the passion, we begin to comprehend the deeper theological statement being made about Jesus’ death. In Mark’s telling of the passion narrative, Jesus understood his death to have been preordained, and he accepted this death in obedience to God’s will. Jewish Scripture is quoted only once, but there are several references to the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Jesus understood his anointing in Bethany as an anticipation of his burial, and he announced that this story would be told together with the Gospel throughout the world. Jesus predicted his betrayal by Judas as well as Peter’s denial. At his arrest, Jesus acknowledged that the preordained time had arrived. Jesus was both confident and silent before his accusers. After he was sentenced to death, Jesus did not speak again until his final cry from the cross. The bystanders misunderstood and believed that he was calling for Elijah. The Roman centurion, however, affirmed what Mark has presented throughout this Gospel: Jesus is the Son of God. Nowhere was this revealed more fully than in his death on the cross.
During Holy Week, we prayerfully remember the events of Jesus’ passion and death. As we meditate on the cross, we ask again and anew what it means to make the statement of faith that Jesus, in his obedient suffering and dying, revealed himself to us as God’s Son. .
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(https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/sunday-connection )
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LIVESTEAMING MASS
For those of you that are not physically able to attend mass you may go to the Catholic Herald and see the listings of parishes that live streams or go to the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, downtown Honolulu will continue to live stream on Sundays at 10 AM, Weekdays at 12 PM, Saturdays at 12 PM and 5 PM https://www.cathedralofourladyofpeace.com/LiveStream.html .
A STEWARDSHIP MOMENT
This weekend we participate in the proclamation of the passion and death of Jesus according to the Gospel of Mark. In the extended version of this weekend’s Gospel reading, Jesus is at Gethsemane, praying to his Father, in much emotional distress. He knows he can save himself. He can escape over the Mount of Olives in the dead of night and make his way safely into the Judean desert. Instead, Jesus chooses obedience to his Father and waits for his persecutors. As Saint Paul puts it in the second reading, Jesus is “obedient to the point of death.” Jesus’ obedience is a lesson for those who are good stewards of their life in Christ. Let us reflect on how we might be more obedient to the will of God instead of our own will.
— (https://www.catholicstewardship.com)
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
First Thursday of Every Month. Come anytime between 5-6:30 pm.. All are Welcome!
THRIFT SHOP HOURS OF OPERATION
Effective May 2021, the Thrift Store hours of operation became every Tuesday from 8 a.m. - 12 noon.
SOCIAL OUTREACH MINISTRY
The Food Pantry holds a drive by distribution, every third Thursday from 8-9 a.m. or while supply lasts. To qualify simply signup as you drive up. The Food Pantry is also accepting non-perishables. Thank you!