BAD TRIP BA ANG ARAW MO?

a personal reflection on the Gospel for Palm Sunday 2018

Have you ever had a bad day? 

It was so bad that everything seems to go wrong from the time you woke up till the end of the day.

Iyong tipong late ka nagising kasi hindi nag-alarm phone mo, wala kang masakyan, grabe ang traffic, pagdating mo ng opisina tambak na ang trabaho, noong kakain ka na wala ka na palang pera sa wallet at lahat ng malapit na ATM offline. Later in the day, you were just too happy to be home then you realized that you left the keys of your house in the office. 

What a day!

Jesus had that type of day also. It happened two days before Passover (Mark 14:1). Here is a quick summary of what happened to Jesus that day.

• When He needed support the most, His closest friends were asleep. Mark 14:37 When he returned he found them asleep.
• Judas betrays Him. Mark 14:45 He came and immediately went over to him and said, “Rabbi.” And he kissed him.
• Peter, His best friend and appointed leader, denies Him. Mark 14:68 But he denied it saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.”
• The people He healed & fed chose to release a criminal over him. Mark 15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead
• The soldiers mocked & stripped Him. Mark 15:18 They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him.
• They hit and spat on Him. Mark 15:19 and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him
• They crucified Jesus & gambled over his garments. Mark 15:24 Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
• By the end of that day, Jesus died. Mark 15:37 Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

What a day Jesus had!

Despite all these things, Jesus rises on Easter and says to everyone “Peace be with you!" (John 20:19)

What is the point of today’s Gospel?

THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO THAT WILL STOP GOD FROM LOVING YOU.

You may deny, betray, mock, spit or crucify Him. Maybe you already killed Him by making Jesus non-existent in your life. Yet, what does God do? HE continues to pursue you. That is love. Pure love.

I say again, WALA KANG KAYANG GAWIN PARA TUMIGIL ANG PAGMAMAHAL NG DIYOS PARA SA IYO.

Open your heart, your mind and your whole being to Jesus. May you have a blessed Holy Week!  - alvinfabella@yahoo.com