Are you prepared for the most important week, the holiest week of the entire year? This Sunday is Palm Sunday which begins Holy Week. Dr. Edward Sri helps you prepare for these sacred days by digging into the Gospel for Palm Sunday which is Mark’s passion narrative. Dr. Sri explains some of the unique aspects of Mark’s narrative and what they mean for our understanding of Jesus’ passion and death.
Snippet from the Show
“This truly is the Son of God.”
Shownotes
Mark 14:36
He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.”
Mark 14:50-52
And they all left him and fled. Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.
Mark 15:23
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it.
Mark 15:38-39
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Refusing Wine (Excerpt from No Greater Love by Dr. Edward Sri)
When Jesus arrives at Golgatha, the soldiers do three things as they crucify him. First, they offer him “wine mingled with myrrh” (Mark 15:23_. This is the first of two wine offerings that will be given to Jesus.
What is the purpose of this drink? Myrrh had narcotic qualities that would dull pain and induce sleep, and this offering of wine mingled with myrrh reflects the traditional practice of offering a dying person alcohol to ease the pain. As the book of Proverbs teaches, Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more” (Proverbs 31:6-7).
Why does Jesus refuse this first offering of wine? Probably because he is determined to give himself completely on the Cross, to enter fully into his sacrifice, to drink the last drop from the cup of his suffering. He also wants to remain alert to the end, for he will continue to minister on the Cross, teaching the people, fulfilling prophecy, forgiving sins, and drawing souls to conversion. His refusing this initial offer of wine should not surprise us, for at the Last Supper, he describes his commitment not to drink “the fruit of the vine” until he enters the kingdom: “I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).
Upcoming Events with Dr. Sri
- Mar 13-14: St. Michael Catholic Church Parish Mission – St. Michael MN
- Mar 15: Bishop Lucker Lecture for Diocese of New Ulm – Redwood Falls MN
- Mar 20-21: St. Louis Catholic Church Parish Mission – Miami FL
- Apr 5-6: Diocese of Charleston Eucharistic Congress – Columbia SC
- Apr 8-11: St. Paul Center Priest Conference – Lakeway TX
- April 15: St. Joseph Catholic Church – Golden CO
- Apr 19-20: Diocesan Eucharistic Congress – Altoona-Johnstown PA
- Apr 27-May 5: Rome Pilgrimage
- May 17-18: Married Couples Retreat with Beth – Irondale AL
- June 20-23: St. Patrick Catholic Church – Summer Summit – London, England
- June 23-July 1: Rome Pilgrimage
- July 18-20: 2024 National Eucharistic Congress – Indianapolis IN
- Aug 10: Discipleship Conference – Oklahoma City OK
- Aug 23-24: Diocesan Faith Formation Conference – Tulsa OK
- Sept 13: St. Laurence Catholic Church Parish Mission – Sugarland TX
- Sept 16-18: Priest convocation – Springfield IL
- Sept 21: 2024 Annual Meeting and Investiture of the Northern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem – Denver CO
- Oct 3 : Diocese of Harrisburg Annual Priest Workshop – Hunt Valley MD
- Oct 5: McHenry County Catholic Prayer Breakfast – Chicago IL
- Nov 16: Women of Christ 16th Annual Conference – Brookfield, WI
Resources
- Visit Dr. Sri’s website at www.edwardsri.com and to book online events with Dr. Sri email events.edwardsri@gmail.com
- Find more of Dr. Sri’s episodes at www.ascensionpress.com/allthingscatholic
- Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to www.ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings
Dr. Edward Sri is a theologian, well-known Catholic speaker, and author of several best-selling books. His work with Ascension includes study programs such as A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk Through Christ’s Passion and Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother. Several of Dr. Sri’s programs were filmed on-site in the Holy Land, and feature immersive video explorations of the sacred sites where Jesus, Mary, and the Apostles lived and died.
Dr. Sri is the host of the acclaimed Ascension podcast All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri. Together with Curtis Martin, Dr. Sri is a founding leader of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), of which he serves as senior vice president of Apostolic Outreach.
Dr. Sri lives with his wife Beth and their children in Colorado.
