Hi everyone. Welcome back to the podcast, where we have a go at doing an exegesis of scripture, doing a verse-by-verse exegesis of the gospel reading from today's Mass from a Catholic perspective,

trying to bring together the best scholarship to see what the original author meant

and what the text meant in its original context.

So today if you go to Mass, it is Palm Sunday,

and there's actually two different gospel readings read at Palm Sunday.

So there's one that's read as the priest enters the church, as like an entrance procession gospel, and it's actually two different gospel readings read at Palm Sunday. So there's one that's read

as the priest enters the church as like an entrance procession gospel. And then there's one that's

read at the normal gospel time. So the one that's read at the normal gospel time is a really long one,

which is an account of Jesus' passion. And that's the one where you probably find that multiple

people read it. They take on different

characters in that really long reading. So we're going to focus on the gospel from the entrance

procession today because it's a bit shorter and it's a bit easier to break down. So we're going to look

at the reading for Palm Sunday Procession. Mark chapter 11 verses 1 to 10. When they drew near to Jerusalem to Beth Fage and

Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, go into the

village opposite you and immediately as you enter it, you'll find a cult tied on which no one has ever

sat. Untire it and bring it.

If anyone says to you, why are you doing this? Say, the Lord has need of it and will send it back here

immediately. And they went away. And found a cult tied at the door out in the open street, and they untied

it. And those who stood there said to them, what are you doing, untying the cult? And they told them

what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the cult to Jesus and threw their

garments on it, and he sat upon it to Jesus and threw their garments on it and he sat upon it.

And many spread their garments on the road and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.

...