Opening Prayer – Palm Sunday
Lord, grant us the humility to turn to you
when others drag us down;
Lead us down the path of mercy and forgiveness
so the burdens we carry become lightened
by your sacrifice on the Cross;
May we learn from your example
shared with us through Your Word.

Journal/Reflection Questions
Isaiah 50:4-7
• From whose perspective is this reading? What does it tell you about speaking out against injustice?
• What does God promise to those who hear His word and act on it?

Philippians 2:6-11
• How do I show love? Do I love others with conditions? What can I do to love others more fully?
• What are you selfish about? With whom are you selfish? Are there people in your life whom you do not share openly? Why?

Matthew 26:14-27:66
• Have you ever been in a state of extreme physical pain? How were you able to cope? Have you been with someone who has been in extreme physical pain? What can you do to help those who suffer?
• If you were there on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, could you have stayed with Jesus until the very end? Who in this scripture can you relate to the most? Why?

General Questions for Journaling
• Name qualities of a humble person. Do you have any of these qualities? Do you know anyone who does?
• What gets in your way when you try to give your time to Jesus in prayer? What distracts you?
• If you believe Jesus is the King of Glory, how do you show your obedience to Him?
• Have you experienced a time when you were able to turn your back to people or actions which had taken control over you? How were you able to overcome? How can you continue to resist the temptation to give up or give in?
• Do you know anyone who is selfless? What qualities do they have that you can model?
• How do you respond to people who question the existence of God because He allows suffering?
• Have you ever felt your faith shaken? Write down the experience.
• If you have had your faith shaken, what was the outcome of the experience?
• What in your life is worth dying for? How do you determine worth?

Closing Prayer
Savior.
You brought us out of the desert and
gave us living water, cured us of our blindness,
and call us from out of our graves into new life.
May we be fully aware of the sacrifice you have given so we may truly live the life you want us to live in joyful abundance!

Challenge for the Week: The Romans hung Jesus on the cross to bring attention to him, ridicule and humiliate. Even in this state, Jesus was able to forgive those who had scourged, tortured and spat on him. How do we act when someone lies to us, cheats or tells lies about us? What do we do when people throw daggers at us with their words and actions? How do we forgive those who hurt us? On the flip side, what do our actions say? Do we consistently treat others kindly or are we guilty of spreading rumors or gossiping? Do we turn the other way when someone is being treated unjustly? This week, take some time to really look at your actions; what are they really saying? Do we look more like Jesus in these readings or like those condemning him? Make a commitment to make a permanent change in how you treat others, even if it is a baby step. Take the opportunity given to pray more intently this last week of Lent to make a positive change.