37% of Mark’s Gospel is about Holy Week. We heard part of it today. Here are some quotes out of our Gospel today. Look at all the verbs that have Jesus as their direct object — all the things that were done to him.

The elders laid hands on him and arrested him

Judas handed him over

The chief priests all left him and

The disciples fell asleep before him and fled from him

Peter followed Jesus at a distance

The Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus

Many of the leaders testified falsely against Jesus

The high priest tore his garments

The bystanders condemned him, spit on him, blindfolded him, and struck him

Peter betrayed him with a kiss

The guards greeted him with blows

The scribes, elders, and chief priests held a council and bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over

Pilate questioned him

The crowd yelled CRUCIFY HIM

The chief priests accused him

The soldiers struck his head with a reed and spit on him — they then mocked him and stripped him

They then crucified him

The passers by reviled him and shook their heads at him

The people crucified with him abused him

The women looked at him from a distance

What will you do with Jesus this week?

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abraham Lincoln

Jeremiah in our first reading is attacked with words. So is Jesus in our gospel today – and rocks, too

And where does Jesus go? Back to the place of his baptism, to the place where the Father declared, “You are my beloved son”

When we are attacked with words or whatever, we go to God.

We will only know our value, our identity, when we see it through His eyes

When a young man says YES to seminary, it changes the culture of his parish

Same with when a young woman says YES to trying out religious life

It’s the most amazing thing!

Mary changed the culture of the humankind with her YES….which is one reason we keep her evre in front of us as Catholics, that her YES might be contagious to all of us….and that we might follow her example in saying YES to God’s Holy Will

From Fr. Peter Totleben OP

Person: I want to do “X.”
Catholic Church: You are free to do it.
Person: But you think “X” is wrong.
Catholic Church: Yes.
Person: Because you want to control me?
Catholic Church: No. You are free to do what you want.
Person: But you think “X” is wrong.
Catholic Church: Yes. But only because I want your ultimate good.
Person: But I want to do “X.”
Catholic Church: You are free to do it.
Person: But I want you to say that “X” is good.
Catholic Church: I cannot say that.
Person: Why do you hate me?”