Jacobson Farm

It’s Holy Monday, but where is Jesus?

After his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, where does Christ go?

Yesterday Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The crowds hailed Him as the Son of David and exalted Him with palms and shouts of joy.

Now Monday of Holy Week dawns. Where is He? What happened after the crowds dispersed?

The Gospels shed light on this. On the evening of Palm Sunday, Jesus went to spend the night in Bethany, where He would have stayed with friends (Matthew 21:17).

Monday morning, He returned to Jerusalem. According to the Synoptic Gospels, it is on this day that Jesus walked with firm purpose into the Temple and drove out the moneylenders, castigating them for making His Father’s house a “den of robbers” (Matthew 21:12–17, Mark 11:15–19, Luke 19:45-48).

Jesus also began His final days of teaching, giving the people a holy torrent of parables and warnings. Many of His most famous teachings and parables—such as the widow who gave two pennies, the parable of the wicked tenants, and the dispute over paying taxes to Caesar—happened during Christ’s ministry in Jerusalem.

Then—as biblical clues suggest—He returned again to Bethany.

 

These innocent looking bovine sure made a big mess the other evening. Thank goodness a neighbor saw them before they got sick. They opened a handle and let out some corn. So now we are cleaning up the corn to give to the chickens.

I grew up rodeoing with Larin.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-malachi-and-supporting-the-backhaus-family

Source: Get Fed: Bite-Sized Faith
Do you know what the symbols on the Paschal Candle mean?

If you look closely at that candle, you’ll notice something else…it’s covered in symbols. None of them are decorative. Every one of them is intentional

At the Easter Vigil, the church begins in darkness.

Then a single flame appears.

The Paschal Candle is carried into the church, and the priest proclaims, “The Light of Christ.” One by one, the entire church fills with light.

It is one of the most striking moments of the year.

But if you look closely at that candle, you’ll notice something else…it’s covered in symbols. None of them are decorative. Every one of them is intentional.

Paschal Candle
The Cross

At the center of the candle is always a cross.

This reminds us that the Resurrection cannot be separated from the Cross. Christ conquers death not by avoiding suffering, but by passing through it.

Alpha and Omega

You’ll usually see two Greek letters: Α (Alpha) and Ω (Omega).

These come directly from Scripture:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega… the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13).

They remind us that Christ is Lord of all time—everything begins and ends in Him.

The Year

The current year is inscribed on the candle.

This is easy to overlook, but it matters.

It means that the Resurrection is not just something that happened once long ago. Christ is alive now, in this moment, in this year.

The Five Grains of Incense

Five small “nails” or grains of incense are inserted into the candle.

They represent the five wounds of Christ: His hands, His feet, and His side.

Even in the light of the Resurrection, the wounds remain.

The Flame

And of course, the flame itself.

The Paschal Candle represents Christ as the Light of the World (John 8:12). It is lit at Easter, but it does not disappear after that.

It appears again at baptisms and funerals—at the beginning of life in Christ, and at the end—reminding us that His light does not go out.

All of these symbols together tell one story:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ is Lord of time, of suffering, and of life itself.

It’s easy to miss these details in the moment. But once you see them, you begin to realize that the Paschal Candle is not just part of the liturgy—it is a kind of silent proclamation of the Gospel.