Holy Week

This week is Holy Week...

 

   Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their clocks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode alond, people kept spreading their clocks on the road. as he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying

   "Blessed is the king,

      who comes in the name of the Lord!

   Peace in heaven,

      and glory in the highest heaven!"

   Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order you disciples to stop."

   He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones themselves would shout out."

 

   As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day they things that make for peace . . .  you did not recognize the time of visitation from God."

 

 

   Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, "It is written,

  'My house shall be a house of prayer';

    but you have made it a den of robbers."

 

 

Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying,

"This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

and he did the same with the cup after supper, saying,

" This cup that it poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. . . Do this in remembrance of me."

He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him . . .  then he withdrew from them, knelt down and prayed,

"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done."

Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. in his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them,

"Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial."

 

While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approacehed Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him,

"Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?" and to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who come for him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? When I was with you day after  day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!"

 

 

This post is continued tomorrow . . .

Taken from the Gospel of Luke.