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Palm Sunday Of The Passion Of The Lord, Year C, By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior, C.S.Sp

Rev Fr Lucas Binnah Junior

Homilies & Reflections

Palm Sunday Of The Passion Of The Lord, Year C, By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior, C.S.Sp

Gospel for the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem: Luke 19:28-40 First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7 / Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22:8-9.17-18a.19-20.23-24 (R. 2a) Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11/Gosp. Accl.: Philippians 2:8b-9/Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:56

Theme: Suffer To Gain Through Prayer

 Get up and pray, so that you may not be put to the test – Luke 22:46

Today, we journey with Jesus in his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, to share his sufferings so as to share his glory. He enters with joy, suffers in the process, and wins victory at the end. The evangelist St. Luke shows us that Jesus was able to endure his passion through a life of prayer. Thus, Jesus sets an example for us to follow, namely, that we suffer to gain through prayer.

Again, today, we begin Holy Week, the most important week of all weeks, the climax of the Lenten season after five weeks of intense preparation. It is called ‘holy’ because the all-holy God, definitively showed the depth of his love by the complete emptying of himself (termed kenosis in Greek) in and through the passion of Christ. Again, it is ‘holy’ because we are invited to share in that divine life, the life of holiness, such that we are consecrated to God and are able to live as Christ lives, love as he loves, pray as he prays, sacrifice as he sacrifices, suffer as he suffers, overcome evil the way he does, forgive as he forgives and thereby become holy as he is holy.

Consequently, Holy Week invites us to imitate Christ fully and decidedly (cf. I Pet. 2:21-24). In this week, Jesus enters Jerusalem to fulfil his purpose on earth, namely, to save the world from sin and its guilt. In this period of seven days, we experience conflicting emotions. The mood is that of joy when we think of the glorious welcome, the adulations of “hosanna,” the chanting of praises for the Messiah, and the inner happy feelings which put captivating smiles on the faces of people. Yet, this initial joy gives way to inner excruciating pain and suffering, which ultimately bursts out like a volcanic eruption, making people to mourn. For the women of Jerusalem, it is a cacophony of wails of woes! However, this bitter-sweet experience will give in to a lasting joy because, Christ enters Jerusalem to die, only for him to rise again after three days, conquering our worst enemies, sin, death and Satan, and winning for us freedom and reconciliation with God. Jesus chooses to lay down his life freely in order to take it up again. This shows his omnipotence.

A story is told of the donkey Jesus sat on in his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is said that the donkey was very happy enjoying the red-carpet treatment of people spreading their clothes on the ground and waving their palm, olive and leafy branches. Sometime after this event, the donkey travelled all alone to Jerusalem. This time, no one showered adulations, no waving of palm and olive branches and no spreading of garments on the ground for it. It became very sad and bitter. This is because it was not found with Jesus. Without Jesus, our lives are empty, meaningless and unfulfilled. Unconnected with Christ, we are mere donkeys with no real dignity, honour, value and freedom. If we can humble ourselves and allow Jesus to ‘sit’ on the ‘donkey’ of our lives, we will find fulfilment. Prayer connects us with God and brings us into the divine presence. Let us resort to prayer and make it a way of life; for that was the path taken by our Master, which he generously shows us as a fitting example for all people everywhere at all times in all situations!

From Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday, we are fed with the choicest scriptural readings including those about the Suffering Servant which prepare us for, and highlight the events of the passion of Jesus Christ. In this week too, we have the Holy or Sacred Paschal Triduum, the three-day-long liturgy beginning on Maundy (Holy) Thursday through Good Friday and ending on Holy Saturday, the penultimate to Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday, Christ instituted both the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders (Priesthood), and gave us his Body and Blood as food for our souls and established the priesthood to be at the service of God and humanity.

On Good Friday, the heart of God who is Love-Subsistent, opened lovingly to draw humanity to salvation through a painful and excruciating crucifixion. In this, the lover dies for the beloved; God for humans; the immortal for the mortal; the sinless for the sinner; the innocent for the guilty, the holy for the unholy and the rich for the poor! What a holy exchange! Oh happy fault, the necessary sin of Adam destroyed completely by the death of Christ! On Holy Saturday night, a vigil is kept in anticipation of the glorious resurrection of Jesus, a moment which tells us that, eschatologically, there is life after death, there is success after seeming failure, and gain after suffering! This is the reason why this week is the most important on the Christian calendar.

In the light of the aforementioned, today’s first reading tells us how salvation is wrought for us through suffering. Isaiah prophesied about the Suffering Servant thus: “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting” (Is. 50:6). This prophecy finds fulfilment in Jesus Christ, whom today’s Gospel exemplify as the Suffering Servant. Jesus chose the cross, a symbol of humiliation, the highest form of shame and human degradation. In fact, for the Jews, cursed is one who is hanged on the cross (cf. Deut. 21:22-23, Gal. 3:13b). In spite of this, Jesus embraced it for our sake. That is why St. Paul says: “Christ rescued us from the curse of the Law by becoming cursed himself for our sake” (Gal. 3:13a). Only agape love can make this possible, and we are called to reciprocate God’s love through obedience, humility, repentance, conversion and reconciliation.

By choosing to die for our sake, Jesus was highly rewarded, and that is the subject of the second reading. He was exalted above all else, to the extent that, in the tripartite division of the universe, that is heaven, earth and the underworld, there is no one greater than Jesus (cf. Phil. 2:9-11). Thus, suffering is redemptive, meaningful and ultimately rewarding if it is for a just cause. This is the mystery of Christian suffering. Our Christian tradition expects us to align the inevitable, unmerited and undeserved sufferings which come our way with the sufferings of Jesus if we are to make heaven! Therefore, when we experience our own ‘Gethsemane’ in the form of betrayal, denial, hatred, fear, difficulty, anguish, sorrow, distress and loss, we should never give up. It is often those circumstances that become the very path to holiness and breakthrough. So, no cross, no crown, and cross-less Christianity is fundamentally anti-Christian since that is not to be identified with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When we suffer justly, we triumph at the end.

Surely, more lessons are to be learnt from the passion of Christ. There will always be Pharisee[1]Haters, Weak-Authorities, Judas-Betrayers, Peter-Deniers, Fearful-Disciples, Jewish-Praise[1]Singers, Jealous-Competitors, Wicked-Unfriendly Soldiers, as well as Loyal-Loving Supporters in our lives. All of them need our love and prayers. We must learn to live in love, for love alone can bring good out of evil! Remember what Jesus said and did: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt.5:44). True love suffers. Genuine love sacrifices. Deep love attracts both lovers and haters, and it is a test of real friendships and relationships. In suffering, we are able to know who our true friends are. There are those who will adore you with ‘hosanna’ when things go well, but when things go bad, they will chant ‘crucify him.’ Be that as it may, we must remember that the ever-abiding God will never forsake us in times of pain and loneliness. We never ever walk alone. If we remain focussed and faithful in God, love will conquer all!

Surely, today’s readings lend us more lessons for our reflection and learning. In the first reading, we learn that God is able to help us to endure our sufferings, so that, we are not put to shame. In times of suffering, the natural tendency is for us to complain and grumble like unbelievers. Let us not lose hope in God nor think that God has abandoned us as witnessed in the Responsorial Psalm. Rather, we should learn to trust, obey and pray like Jesus, and we shall surely overcome.

Also, instead of being proud, let us humble ourselves as the second reading exhorts us. If we do so, God will lift us up above our troubles. In times of troubles, the easiest thing is to throw in the towel, to call it quits and to give oneself a long break! Nonetheless, let us remember: quitters never win and winners never quit! Luke’s account of the Passion Narrative which is the Gospel of today is replete with quitters and winners whose lives serve as sources for our meditation.

Furthermore, let us be aware that we are not very different from the likes of Judas, Peter, the disciples of Jesus, the Pharisees, and any of the characters in the Gospel. Whatever we do to our neighbours, we do it to Christ. It will always be the acid test. What is important is to change our ways, not to betray, deny, desert and mistreat Jesus our friend, master and Lord. When we change for the better, we receive the blessings of God. The change is now since no one knows tomorrow! With unwavering faith, let us resort to ardent, strategic and practical prayer, especially in Lent.

Finally, no matter how unfairly, unjustly and inhumanely we have been treated, we need and ought to forgive as children of God and to bear wrongs patiently. In our world, many people easily give in to anger, bitterness and vengeance. These are toxins that affect both body and soul. Today, these are some of the greatest causes of life-threatening diseases. When we forgive quickly, we recover quickly! When we let go, we let in the fount of newness and freshness. When we forgive from our hearts, we are healed within. Even when we find it difficult to let go of the hurtful feelings, willingness to do so through sincere prayer will bring divine help. May God heal our hearts to embrace agape love and self-donation in the service of God and humanity! Happy Palm Sunday and a spirit-filled Holy Week! Remember to: #Suffer-to-Gain-Through-Prayer#

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