Holy Monday
HOLY Monday is the Monday of the Holy Week before Easter, after the Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. The Gospels tell us of some of the events that occurred on this day. Some of the most notable of these were the cursing of the fig tree as described in the Gospel of Matthew (21:18-22). In the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered, and when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, only leaves. He said then to it: Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And the fig tree withered away.
When the disciples saw it, they marveled. Jesus said unto them, “verily I say unto you, if you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done.” Jesus thus told His followers how great His power is.
The Gospel of Mark (Mark 11:2026) teaches us to trust and hold on to God’s mercy. When you pray He said, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. And when you pray, forgive that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Jesus teaches how we should live our lives according to the will of his heavenly father but we often neglect the teachings of the Lord and fulfill our own desires. In the Gospel of Matthew, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, by what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority? Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you about John’s work of baptism. Whence was it? From heaven or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say, from heaven, He will say unto us, why did you not then believe Him? But if we shall say, of men, we fear the people, for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus and said: We cannot tell. And He said unto them: Neither tell you by what authority I do these things.
The cleansing of the temple narrative tells of Jesus expelling the merchants and the money changers from the temple. He told them: “It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.” The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He cured them. but when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that He did, and heard the children are crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry and said to Him “Do you hear what these are saying? Jesus said to them, “Yes, have you never read, out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself? He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
Let us continue to prepare ourselves spiritually for the great and joyous celebration of Easter, following Jesus desire in our life. Let him be our driver as we continue to journey as pilgrims of this earth. Have a meaningful day! God bless you.