A thought this Passion Sunday
I am struggling these past few days with colds. Maybe because during the colder days in the past week, I am unable to protect myself as I should. So as the temperature approaches 20C, my body has finally taken its toll.
Anyway after I went to the Hong Kong Central library, I took bus number 10 to Wanchai's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. On my way from Causeway Bay, I could see flocks of crowd dominated by Caucasians in casual summer attire, distinctively in the mood for the Hong Kong Sevens around the Hong Kong Stadium nearby. I also saw the team bus of the Russia on its way to the stadium. The traffic was fairly bad, nonetheles I got to the Church with ferns distributed at the lobby and I am two minutes ahead of the actual rites.
Inside the Church I chose to sit at the back instead of the middle rows in precaution of my ailment. Usual celebrities found in the church were there (the former Darna and Star TV anchor) and the Mass had its usual longer version of the Gospel where the entire duration of the Paschal Mystery is re enacted.
As I listen to re enactment I feel as if I need to castigate people in Jerusalem that in a span of less than a week, fresh from welcoming Jesus Christ at Palm Sunday, they immediately changed their minds and demanded His death. What could have driven them to change their minds? A faithful apostle like Peter could deny a master three times even though he would vehemently deny this when asked in the Last Supper. We can say w e won't be like Peter if we were in the situation. Jesus asks the apostles to sit while He was praying, yet after an hour they were found asleep. Judas Iscariot whose 30 pieces of silver was enough to sell his master to arresting Pharisees despite vowing not to lose faith the night before. As Christians, we can sometimes think that the behavior of the Jerusalem people are like us too. Every year we hear the same re enactment. But it was meant to be that way because we are reminded that just like the people at those times, we are also prone to betray the Lord in our modern way. Call it an excuse but we deny the Lord the way as Peter did, maybe a little differently. We sell the Lord like Judas did or doubt Him like Thomas did. We are like the Jerusalem people that we would chose to do things over what God wants us to do the same way as they chose to free Barrabas and have Jesus Christ crucified on the cross.
Anyway after I went to the Hong Kong Central library, I took bus number 10 to Wanchai's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. On my way from Causeway Bay, I could see flocks of crowd dominated by Caucasians in casual summer attire, distinctively in the mood for the Hong Kong Sevens around the Hong Kong Stadium nearby. I also saw the team bus of the Russia on its way to the stadium. The traffic was fairly bad, nonetheles I got to the Church with ferns distributed at the lobby and I am two minutes ahead of the actual rites.
Inside the Church I chose to sit at the back instead of the middle rows in precaution of my ailment. Usual celebrities found in the church were there (the former Darna and Star TV anchor) and the Mass had its usual longer version of the Gospel where the entire duration of the Paschal Mystery is re enacted.
As I listen to re enactment I feel as if I need to castigate people in Jerusalem that in a span of less than a week, fresh from welcoming Jesus Christ at Palm Sunday, they immediately changed their minds and demanded His death. What could have driven them to change their minds? A faithful apostle like Peter could deny a master three times even though he would vehemently deny this when asked in the Last Supper. We can say w e won't be like Peter if we were in the situation. Jesus asks the apostles to sit while He was praying, yet after an hour they were found asleep. Judas Iscariot whose 30 pieces of silver was enough to sell his master to arresting Pharisees despite vowing not to lose faith the night before. As Christians, we can sometimes think that the behavior of the Jerusalem people are like us too. Every year we hear the same re enactment. But it was meant to be that way because we are reminded that just like the people at those times, we are also prone to betray the Lord in our modern way. Call it an excuse but we deny the Lord the way as Peter did, maybe a little differently. We sell the Lord like Judas did or doubt Him like Thomas did. We are like the Jerusalem people that we would chose to do things over what God wants us to do the same way as they chose to free Barrabas and have Jesus Christ crucified on the cross.
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1:46 PM
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