Fifth Sunday of Lent, April 7, 2019

A rich person is not one who has the most, 
but is one who needs the least.

Passion Sunday - This Sunday marks the beginning of Passiontide, a deeper time of Lent and the final Sunday of Lent before the beginning of Holy Week. The Liturgy of the Word of this day speaks of re-creation, resurrection, and new life. Today, statues and sacred images (except for the Stations of the Cross) are veiled with purple cloth beginning at the Vespers of Passion Sunday, and they remain covered until the Gloria of Holy Saturday, at which point Lent ends and Eastertide begins. Catholics cover statues and icons, etc., in their homes for the same time period (the cloth shouldn't be transluscent or decorated in any way).

Scripture ...
Luke 23:5-7

Reflections ...

The judge pronounced his verdict, yet permits the prosecution to challenge that verdict and continue raising objections. Clearly, Pilate is intimidated.

The Jewish high priest is urgent. He has brought along the full high court and a large company of guards and servants. But not even their sheer number is enough to convince Pilate of the seriousness of this matter. Perhaps Pilate thinks Jesus only has a local following that his Roman squads can easily put down. So they report the wide scope of Jesus’ ministry to convince the governor that Jesus is a greater danger. They claim Jesus has been stirring up people all over Judea, from Galilee, even here to Jerusalem.

Suddenly, Pilate sees an opening, an opportunity to get rid of this whole sorry affair. If Jesus is a Galilean, the trial can be switched to Herod, the Roman governor over Galilee. Fortunately, he is staying in Jerusalem for the feast. Let Herod deal with the Jewish high priest and Jesus.

Pilate watches the procession head over to Herod’s palace. As the footsteps die away in the distance and silence descends over his courts, Pilate may well breathe a sigh of relief. But by taking this action he has completely undercut his own verdict. He declared Jesus not guilty, so why is He still on trial? Why is His life still in jeopardy?

And one more thing Pilate fails to consider: if somehow Jesus is returned to him, it will be clear to the Jewish leaders that all they have to do is keep pressing, and Pilate will eventually give in.

Prayer ... 
Lord Jesus, You suffered such injustice to fulfill God’s righteous plan and set free sinners like me. Give me a grateful heart, and genuine love for the people around me that need to hear of Your love. Amen.

Lenten Challenge for today …
Stop texting or scrolling through FB or Instagram when someone is talking to you.  It’s rude. Do it as a sacrifice today but it’s a good idea to continue this habit always.

Hymn ..

Quiz ...

1. Click the correct option.

2. Click Submit

3. Scroll up and click View Accuracy to see your result.

4. Have fun while you learn your faith.

Credits:

Thanks to various sites for the ideas .  I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs.

Countdown calendar - https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html

Reflections and prayer – https://www.lhm.org/

Luke 23 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQbH-NxjEhY