I read somewhere that palm Sunday corresponded to the day the spotless lambs were led into the city of Jerusalem before the Passover and that thus was done with some fanfare. I'm sure the people didn't realize this at the time. Only later would they remember.
Are you experiencing any food shortages there? I’m seeing that they are cropping up in different countries…Peru, Sri Lanka… Just wondering…
OK well forget about my comment then Padraig as I don't wish to veer off into debates in this Holy Week. But I don't see how the accolades of men could mean much to Jesus nor His Mother when they knew how fickle their hearts were and that in a few days, even those closest to Christ would run from Him. They cheered Him one day and didn't defend Him a few days later. I couldn't help but think of the parallels yesterday at mass where many of us raised our palms too - how many of us will stay faithful? Ah thank you for this detail, this is what I was looking for. It's the intersection between the customs of the old rites of the First Covenant and the transition to the New with His Passion. I found this article, "Palm Sunday and the Day of the Lambs" which goes into the customs of that period.
The Sadducees, in charge of Temple sacrifices, also owned the Bethlehem fields and the lambs raised there. They hired shepherds who were experts in animal husbandry. The Sadducees considered these shepherds as Levitical priests, because the lambs they tended when ewes gave birth were destined for Temple sacrifices. Exodus 12:5 instructs, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.” Historian Josephus estimates that as many as 265,000 lambs could be sacrificed in the Temple for Passover. Wow, this is wonderful and sheds more light on Jesus' birth in a grotto in Bethlehem and why the angel appeared to the shepherds to tell them to go adore Him. If the shepherds had to inspect the lambs, that must have been accomplished by that visit - were they not the first to come adore Him? So much is lost to us because we don't have the context of the times. But I'm sure that the Virgin knew all of this and it was one of the many things She meditated it in Her Heart...
I think it was FR. Paqua on EWTN who told this story When they found a perfect lamb, they would wrap it carefully and place it in a manger to keep the lamb perfect. No wonder the story held much understanding for the Jews. Other stories FR. Pacwa told Shepherds would drive their sheep into a stone enclosure at night, but there was no gate for the opening. Instead the good shepherd would lay down across the opening and protect the sheep from the wolves. The site Jesus was lead into the desert and was tempted by the devil was 3 miles from where the Israelite priests would lead the scapegoat{a goat which they placed all the sins of Israel on} and slaughter him to take away the sins of Israel. We have lost so much understanding of these things nowadays which would have had great meaning back then.
Thank you for sharing this Sam. I am choked up reading it. What comes immediately to mind is how could any of the faithful in Israel at the time have denied that Jesus was the Lamb of God? It also seems glaringly obvious that God established the rituals for the sacrifice knowing in advance how the people would treat His Son, the True Lamb of God.
Speaking of the old rituals in this Holy Week, what do you think of this claim by Jonathan Cahn in the video below? He says that Barabbas was actually called Jesus Barabbas and that the Church Fathers changed it because they didn't want the Holy Name of Jesus associated with a criminal. But by changing the name, we lost sight of the link with the old rituals that demanded identical offerings (the High Priest had to choose the offering and scapegoat). There was no way to find an identical offering among men, so the two presented by Pilate before the people shared only the name but one was Pure and the other one was a criminal who represented all men for whom Christ would die. Cahn says that the name Jesus Barabbas is in some Bible versions. I had never heard this before but found a few references by Origen to Jesus Barabbas - see below. If this is contrary to Catholic teaching, I'll remove this post, but it sure does make sense. .
Yes. God has formed and planned our salvation perfectly. When I see the High priest and the crowds demand the death of Jesus it horrified me. But then I think of my own history of sin and blindness and I remember sin blinds the whole person. A kind of terrible disorientation. Good becomes evil. Right becomes wrong. Look at our own time. In so many ways people are acting out this diabolical disorientation. People don't change because the effects of sin don't change. And we have no excuse now because unlike the Jews of that time we have the gift of Christ's death and resurrection. We have been freed. I think about these things often and like you I get very sad to think of Jesus the Pure Lamb having to go through with it. Willing to go through with it. I've been watching the Passion in small film clips as a tool for meditation. It sure brings it all to life.
Hi.Im goin to try fast from tomorrow until Sat morn.im goin to offer it up for the conversion of ireland and for a special conversion for myself and my wife.My wife while a catholic does not believe in all the tenants of the church and as you can imagine this leads to some problems.Anyway please keep me in ur prayers.ill also include u guys in my efforts. I am goin to try just water,black cofee and a little bread.I hope my mood remains good and this is not done for vanity.praise jesus christ and his blessed mother
I am listening to the Gospel of Matthew on Shalom World and wanted to share a video segment here where Frances Hogan talks about Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey. There are many details of significance given about this, including the practice of putting a cloak down before a king which symbolized someone giving authority to the king. When the people threw their mantles on the ground for Jesus to walk on, it meant they gave Him the authority to rule over them, which is something the Jews would have understood, the priests in particular, but not the Romans who didn't see any threat in this entry into Jerusalem. There is more about this entry into Jerusalem at the very beginning of the next episode here, which I also recommend entirely because the content which applies to us today too.
