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      Palm Sunday is a special day. It is the first day of a very special week in which each day has its own particular liturgy and significance. 

    The palms re-enact and connect us with Christ\’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem as King and Messiah, fulfilling many Old Testament Scripture passages. To the ancient Jews, the palms were symbols of victory and abundance. In Christianity they have become the symbol of the martyr, who is victorious over death.

       Everyone is encouraged to take some palms home and put them on crucifixes or holy pictures. The palms have been blessed and are, thus, sacramentals, bringing Christ\’s special presence and power into our daily lives. Seeing them each day reminds us of Christ\’s redemptive sacrifice, which in turn can lead us to prayer and trust in our ultimate victory in Him. 

     The triumphal entry into Jerusalem accompanied by acclamations and songs of praise ends abruptly with the opening prayer of the Mass, when the focus shifts to Christ\’s Passion. Palm Sunday is linked with Good Friday; these are the only two days when the entire Passion account is read, from one of the synoptic Gospels on Palm Sunday and from the Gospel of John on Good Friday. May the words of that opening prayer be a source of renewal and strength for all of us on the journey to eternal life. 

 Father, Jesus fulfilled your will 

Amen.  

We were happy to welcome Sarah Murray, candidate for the Lufkin City Council, Ward 6, to our monastery for a visit yesterday!

Sarah Murray with some of the sisters

Sarah Murray and her husband Joe are long-time friends of the monastery. Although they are not Catholic, they often come to spend time with us in prayer, especially at Vespers. When Sarah announced her intention of running for City Council, Ward 6–the ward we happen to live in–she offered to come and talk to us about some of the issues facing our city. We enjoyed a delightful evening with Sarah and asked many questions, which she answered with skill and knowledge. As cloistered Dominican nuns, we don\’t go out and get personally involved in things–our job is to pray–but we do make it a practice to vote in national, state and local elections because we believe our vote is important! And of course, we keep our elected officials in our prayers always. Thanks so much, Sarah Murray, for coming out and helping us to stay informed about our city\’s needs!

\”I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and whoever believes in me will never die.\” (John 11:25-26)

In our monastery, we sing the chant Media vita at Compline during this season of Lent: \”In the midst of life, we are in death. To whom do we look for help, but to you, O Lord…?\” We all undergo situations that are a kind of death as we journey through life: the loss of friends, of jobs, of financial security, the end of relationships and ways of life that are dear and familiar to us. These struggles may reduce us to the breaking point. But Jesus reminds us this Sunday that death is not the end. If we have the courage to take away the stone when Jesus commands it (cf. John 11:39) we will be surprised and amazed by the restored life that emerges. Lazarus was returned to his grieving family; Jesus Himself rose from the dead after three days and now reigns as King eternally. Jesus is alive and lives to renew and transform our dead lives into something beautiful for God. Whatever happens in life can only bring us closer to Him–if we let it. 

In St. John\’s account the blind man does not know who Jesus is until the end of the story. Jesus asks him: \”Do you believe in the Son of Man?\” He answered and said, \”Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?\” Jesus said to him, \”You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.\” He said, \”I do believe, Lord,\” and he worshiped him. 

Since the man was born blind it was unheard of that such a man could see again. So, we do not hear him begging for a cure. Yet, Jesus stopped, \”spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva and smeared the clay on the blind man\’s eyes, saying to him, \’Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam\’.\” He went, washed and came back able to see. By this time Jesus and his disciples had left. So although he could see now, he did not see Jesus. He only knew him by name, that he was a good man who did the impossible: cure a man born blind. To this fact he gives witness to his neighbors, his parents and to the Pharisees that this man was good: \”A sinner could not have opened the eyes of a man born blind,\” he said to them. In the end he was criticized, and expelled from the synagogue. 

When Jesus heard that this man had been thrown out of the synagogue, he sought and found him. At last the man could see Jesus! Jesus said, \”I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.\” 

Jesus desires all people to see him and to believe that he is the Son of Man. Some choose to remain spiritually blind although they can see; others choose to see, although, through no fault of their own, they are blind spiritually or physically. Jesus heals those who want his healing. 

This story comes midway through Lent to give us hope and direction: hope in the great mercy of God that He will pour out on us as we reach Holy Week and Easter, and direction to know how to follow Him more closely. God\’s mercy is without end. It reaches to the depths of our being and enables us to see our \”blind spots\” and ask for God\’s healing. 

We grow in our knowledge of Him as we allow ourselves to enter into a closer relationship with Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man. Like the beggar, then, we too can worship Him as Lord and thank Him for his great mercy to us. 

We are delighted to present this advertisement for Fr. M.Thomas-Paul Demkovich, O.P. \’s new novel on Meister Eckhart, called The Death of Magister Aycardus. It\’s available in both paperback and Kindle at amazon.com and other retailers. We found this book fascinating and enjoyable, and hope you will, too!

On this Third Sunday of Lent, we encounter three different texts that speak to us of \”living water\”. First, Moses is called to strike a rock so that the thirst of the grumbling Israelites may be quenched. In antiquity the rock in this case is a foreshadowing of the heart of Christ pierced by the lance through which blood and water flow in the final climax of the crucifixion. Jesus\’ body, so mangled by whips and abuse already, pours out His love ever after death. He wishes to give all to the Father even until the last drop. 

St. Paul remarks that Christ died at a point when most of the people in Jerusalem were hostile to Him. However, \”the love of God has been poured out into our hearts\” through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. We are often like Moses, grumbling, or at least questioning when life gives us a spin we do not understand. How could God do this to me? Doesn\’t He know? Yet, because Christ died \”while we were yet sinners\” His grace beckons to us in the words of the responsorial psalm for Mass, \”If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.\” He asks us to open ourselves to the living water, the light of grace, and trust–even though we may not see the way. 

The Samaritan woman at the well is promised this living water. Suddenly, she realizes with whom she is talking. She opens her heart and follows the grace she is being given by God. The Holy Spirit has revealed to her the Messiah and she goes in haste to alert her fellow villagers. 

In summary, let us examine our relationship with God. Have we heard this voice of living water deep in our hearts? Have we been attentive? Let us make it our prayer in this holy season of Lent.