Palm Sunday 2019: The Homage of Unconditional Obedience

PALM SUNDAY 2019

YEAR OF THE YOUTH

April 14, 2019

Jesus, I trust in you!

Our Lenten journey for this year began with the story of how the Spirit led Jesus to the desert to be tempted by the devil. There, the intention of the Incarnation was made clear: “That the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil.” He engaged in a spiritual battle with Satan who sought to destroy man by seducing him to sin. Sin, which entered into the world through the disobedience of one man, must be destroyed through the obedience of the Son of God. Christ humbled himself by coming in human likeness and by his obedience until death, death on a Cross.

In the desert, the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth which he would easily give Jesus if only he knelt to worship him. The Lord could have easily received power and glory from the devil but he refused to receive it from him. instead, in the garden, even though he was in so much agony that his sweat became like drops of blood, the Lord knelt and prayed to his Father: “Not my will but yours be done.” In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve refused God the homage of their unconditional obedience. They wanted to be like God by following their own will. They ate the forbidden fruit and through their disobedience, sin entered the world and together with sin entered death. Jesus offered to God what Adam and Eve refused to offer: the homage of unconditional obedience. He, who is God, emptied himself. He took upon himself the opposite direction which Adam and Eve aspired to take. Our parents aspired to be as great as God. Jesus went down to be a slave: “I am among you as one who serves.”

It is in the humiliation of the Cross that the Lord conquered the arrogance of Satan. By the depth of his suffering and humiliation, Jesus ended the reign of sin by invoking upon us the forgiveness of God: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” By enduring the agony of the Cross, Jesus satisfied the demands of justice He atoned for our sins. Thus, he is able to obtain the freedom of Barabbas. The Son of God liberated the criminal by dying in his stead. Rightfully did the thief say: “We have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Because Jesus is without sin, he is able to atone for us. By atoning for our sins, he is able to give the repentant thief the promise: ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

As Jesus was told by Satan to jump from the parapet of the temple, so now, he was dared: “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” But as he refused to jump from the top of the temple, so now he refused to come down from the Cross. He stayed on the Cross until he commended to the Father his spirit. He stayed on the Cross until he breathed his last. And so he glorified God. In doing so, he destroyed the work of the devil. The people who saw the spectacle returned home beating their breasts. By their repentance, they obtained mercy and forgiveness. Jesus brought back to God his prodigal children.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

He falls alone

PALM SUNDAY B

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

March 25, 2018

Jesus, I trust in you!

“You will all fall away!” so Jesus told his disciples during the last supper. To this, Peter and the other disciples objected: “Even if all will fall away, I will not…Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And so it came to pass: at the garden, Peter, James and John could not stay awake and watch with Jesus even for an hour; Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss; everybody deserted him and fled; Peter denied him. Even that mysterious young man who followed the Lord fled naked, leaving his garments behind. From the time of his arrest, Jesus was surrounded by his enemies: false witnesses testified against him, the Sanhedrin condemned him as worthy of death, the crowds demanded that he be crucified, soldiers mocked him, passersby insulted him, and even those who were crucified with him heaped insults on him. But the worst of all was that when Jesus cried out from the Cross: “Eloi, Eloi lema sabachthani?” no answer was heard from the Father…even the Father seemed to have abandoned him. In other words, Jesus died alone.

But it was when he died that the centurion who saw how Jesus died exclaimed: Truly this man was the Son of God. The women who followed him from Galilee and also from Jerusalem were seen watching from a distance. Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin came forward to bury Jesus. Indeed, the single grain of wheat fell to the ground and died. But when it died, it bore much fruit.

This single grain that fell to the ground is truly the King of Israel. This truth was professed by his enemies themselves. Pilate asked, “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” The soldiers who mocked him saluted him by saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” The chief priests and the scribes mocked him, “Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down cross that we may see and believe.” The inscription of the charge above his head read: “The king of the Jews.” Indeed, the Holy Spirit has put this truth on the lips of Christ’s enemies in order make it more credible. If a person’s greatness is acknowledge by his rivals and enemies, that greatness becomes more believable than when it is said by one’s own friends and relatives.

And so, this single grain that fell and died is truly the King of Israel. Single handedly, he defeated the enemy. Alone, he took up the battle and he was victorious. God greatly exalted him and gave him a name which is above all other names. This is why today, we acclaim him: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” Today, the Scriptures tell us: “Fear no more, O daughter Zion; see, your king comes, seated upon an ass’ colt.”  Let us welcome him with all the sincerity of our hearts. Let us “inwardly fulfill what we enact outwardly.” (Pre-1955 blessing) Christ bows down to us so that we should come back to the Father. Therefore, let us honor Christ by our sincere conversion. By submitting to his commands and teachings, let us truly profess: Truly, this man was the Son of God, the King of Israel.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The Grain of Wheat Falls alone

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

“Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you,” said St. Peter and all the apostles spoke similarly. And yet, as early as the agony in the garden, the disciples already abandoned the Lord. In spite of the fact that Jesus said, “My soul is sorrowful even to death,” the disciples even found the occasion to sleep and to leave Christ alone in his anguish. When the Lord was arrested, “they all left him and fled” including that mysterious young man who ran off naked. It did not take long for Peter to take his words back…he denied the Lord before the cock crowed. From then on, Jesus was alone. He was left alone to be surrounded by his enemies, mocked even by those sentenced to die with him. In the end, Jesus cried out: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” His anguished cry tells us that even the Father whom he loved abandoned him? It was a very lonely way to die. He was in the middle of people and yet he was alone.

And yet, the moment he died, the voice of the centurion was heard: “Truly this man was the Son of God.” And then came forward Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger, and also Salome. Then Joseph of Arimathea asked for the Body of Jesus. Also let us not forget Simon the Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who seemed to be known to the writer of the Gospel as believers. And the naked young man? Wait for him on Easter Sunday! When I look at all of these, I could not help but remember what the Lord Jesus said last Sunday: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain. But when it falls and dies, it bears much fruit.” Indeed, Jesus is that grain of wheat that falls alone and dies. He died alone, abandoned by his disciples, forsaken even by his Father. Alone he fell and died. And yet when he died, he bore abundant fruits. The centurion, the women, Joseph of Arimathea, Simon and his sons, the naked young man, the weeping Peter…these were his abundant fruits. 2 Sundays ago, the Lord Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to myself.” You and I are here in fulfillment of what the Lord said. You and I are here drawn towards him who was lifted upon the Cross. If it were not for his lifting up, if it were not for his suffering and death, none of us would be here.

And so, as we enter Holy Week, let us make firm our resolve to gather around Jesus. Let us accompany him in his abasement. Let us join him in his sorrow. Let us thank for his love and sacrifice. Let us thank him for calling us to himself. Let this week be unlike all other weeks. Let us keep this week not for ourselves but for him who died for us. Let us not be ashamed of him. Let us not deny him. Instead, let us proclaim to the glory of God the Father: “Jesus Christ is Lord.”   

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Drawn to Him

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Death is truly a frightening experience because it goes against our desire to survive and live. Even Jesus was not spared of this. As he went to the garden, he said that his soul was sorrowful even unto death. The Lord was not spared of the isolation which death brings to every man. At the garden, he alone agonized while his disciples, unable to resist fatigue, slept. The Lord was abandoned by his disciples, denied by Peter and was surrounded by enemies who mocked him and challenged him to come down from the Cross and save himself. St. Mark said that even the criminals who were crucified with Jesus derided the Lord. But the height of Christ’s isolation was when from the Cross he cried: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Taking upon himself the sins of the world, Jesus endured and suffered the consequence of sin: isolation from God. Jesus died alone – like a grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies alone.

And yet, in that isolation of death, as he falls to the earth and dies, he begins to bring forth fruit. The first fruit would be that centurion who saw how Jesus breathed his last. What he saw elicited from him an act of faith: “Truly this man was the Son of God!” This centurion encountered Jesus. He stood facing Jesus. He saw how Jesus breathed his last. What he saw was an invitation to him. He responded to this invitation. He acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God.

The seed that falls to the ground bears much fruit. After the centurion, there were the women who followed Jesus from Galilee: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses and Salome. After them came Joseph of Arimathea who was awaiting the kingdom of God. They came forth as the fruits of that seed that fell to the ground alone. Remember last Sunday’s Gospel? Some Greeks came asking: “We would like to see Jesus.” This coming of the gentiles made Jesus say: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

Indeed, the hour has come. Though he died isolated, he draws all people to himself by being lifted up on the Cross. Like the centurion, the Magdalene, the mother of James and Joses and Salome, Joseph of Arimathea, we are drawn to the Redeemer who from the Cross, calls all people to himself. We now stand facing him. We now see how he breathed his last. Let the centurion’s words be our own: “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Savior of the world! Come let us worship!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

On Confessing the Lordship of Christ

To the unbeliever’s eye, the passion of our Lord seems to be a story of a shameful defeat. The man who was acclaimed as a prophet and a wonderworker, much admired by many, walks to his death, bearing the instrument of his execution. Abandoned by his disciples, surrounded by his enemies and by a jeering crowd, Jesus was truly forlorn. He cries out from the cross: Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But that is what the unbeliever sees. The Gospel writer, St. Matthew, helps us look at these sad events from the point of view of faith. First, St. Matthew shows us clearly that everything that happened in that day happened in order to fulfill the scriptures. When one of his disciples cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Jesus said to him: “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than 12 legions of angels? But then, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass this way?...But all this has come to pass that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled.” The concern was to show that all this is the fulfillment of Sacred Scriptures. These events were not an unfortunate succession of coincidences but rather, these were premeditated events – carefully planned by the Blessed Trinity with a specific outcome in mind. The objective is clearly our salvation. This took place for us men and for our salvation (qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem…) In fact, it did not take long for the objectives to be achieved. Immediately after the Lord expired, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” Last Sunday, we saw how Lazarus, the friend of Christ, was raised from the dead. Today, we see not one, not two, but many saints coming forth from their tombs. By this, Christ’s glory is revealed: “From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Because of this, to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God is no longer deemed as blasphemy as the chief priest supposed. To acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is to profess the truth. To confess this truth is to glorify the Father: “at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This is what we are preparing to do throughout the season of Lent. We pray, we fast, we confess our guilt and rectify our ways during this holy season so that Easter may find us worthy of professing the faith that saves: “For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For, with the heart, we believe unto justice; but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10) As Lent draws to a close, let us intensify our prayer and fasting. Let us turn with all our hearts to the Lord and confess our sins so that when the Easter Triduum comes we may be worthy to make the centurion’s confession our own: “Truly, this was the Son of God!”