A Reflection on Palm Sunday

Prepared by Marie Cameron, Toowoomba, Australia.

Leader:

Gracious God
Be with us as we reflect on Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem.
Help us to learn from him, our Master and our Friend,
As we walk with him on the road.

Reading: Mark 11:1-11

Reflection: (Outline of points)

Focus on Jesus – his integrity in making a journey that he felt called to make but knew was very dangerous for him, but his trust that God would be with him. The sadness in his eyes – his deep understanding of human nature told him that the people who were cheering him would very likely turn against him if he did not fulfil their expectations of him. The love that shone forth from him, and the non-violence of his humble entry into Jerusalem
Today, others made a journey to the centre of Sydney to take part in a peace rally. They felt called upon to do this despite any consequences for themselves. In recent weeks around the world, many have made similar journeys. A group of people journeyed to Iraq to offer themselves as human shields, despite the huge personal danger – their integrity required them to make this journey.
The nature of journey. We cannot know exactly what the outcome will be, or where we will arrive and what it will be like when we do. The point is that, like Jesus, we make the journey that we are called to make, trusting in God to be with us right to the end of the road. To allow fear to keep us stalled in our current situation is to condemn ourselves to a living death.
One journey to which I think we are all called is the journey to greater understanding and love between practitioners of the world’s great faiths. To this end, let us share this Litany using words of the Prophet Muhammad.

A Litany of Unity and Hope

Leader:

God, Creator of our world and its peoples
Give us strength and faith to undertake the journeys to which you call us.
Help us to grow in love and understanding of our sisters and brothers around the world,
So that together, we may cherish and protect the beautiful planet you have given us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, our Master and our Friend. Amen.

A Litany of Unity and Hope, by Karen Senecal
Based on the Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad*

One: "What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the wrongs of the injured."

ALL: We acknowledge that we have been tempted to seek only our own good, hear only our own truth, and acknowledge only our own suffering. Let us start along the road to justice and peace by holding the pain of our sisters and brothers as if it were our own. We pray that no more children are lost to indifference and violence.

One: "Kindness is a mark of faith, and whoever has not kindness has not faith."

ALL: We pray for the courage to transform this beautiful planet into a place where people are not tormented by wars and not torn apart in senseless divisions. Together we will find the strength to resist hatred by our caring. Help us remember that it is our hands that shape the earth.

One: "The exercise of religious duties will not atone for the fault of an abusive tongue."

ALL: We pray, without ceasing, that our words become actions that give life the shape of justice.

One: "God is a unity and likes unity."

ALL: Help all persons to be able to not merely see the similarities between all people, but to feel less fear in the differences. If this can be our focus, perhaps our goal may be not for homogeny, but for a true and joyful diversity.

One: "Anyone of you who sees wrong, let him undo it with his hand; and if he cannot, then let him speak against it with his tongue; and if he cannot do this either, then let him abhor it with his heart, and this is the least of faith."

ALL: Every human life is precious to God and the human community. Each human path of faith is a sacred journey within life.

One: "He is true who protects his brother or sister both present and absent."

ALL: We pray for our sisters and brothers who have no sense of safety in their daily lives. We consider the hatred we witness and participate unwittingly in, and we pray for more than fear and tolerance to dominate people's thoughts and motivation in these trying days.


*The words read by the liturgist are taken from A Collection of Sound Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) on Nonviolence, Peace, Justice, and Other Subjects complied from reliable sources by Dr. Hafiz Syed and edited by Kabir Helminski
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About This Litany. This litany was written in the week after September 11, 2001, by the Rev. Karen Senecal for use by the congregation of Judson Memorial Church, New York City, which is located in Greenwich Village not far from the site of the World Trade Center. It was used again in a Service of Lamentation held on March 20, 2003, the day after the start of the Iraq war. The collection of hadith was contributed by Sufi Shaikh Kabir Helminski, cofounder of the Threshold Society, via SpiritualityHealth.com and Sufism.org.