PALM SUNDAY - YEAR C

PALM SUNDAY – YEAR C ( Is 50:4-7; Phil 2:6-11; Luke 22:14 – 23:56) Theme: We Walk Into Jerusalem to Glorify God with the Sacrifice of Our Life Reflection We are at the entrance of God’s glory - The gate is opened for Jesus: We are standing at the gate/door/entrance of Jerusalem. We are waiting for Jesus who is coming. We are waiting with the palms in the hands and with the songs on the lips. We are waiting above all with the hearts that are beating for Jesus. Totally, it is a joyful waiting for the Lord. We are waiting not just to have a glance of Jesus who is about to enter into the city but to walk with him all along his path. This is the whole scenario of the entrance of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. Today, on the Palm Sunday, we are here to start our Lenten journey with intensity by entering into the Holy Week. Palm Sunday introduces us into the week full of Christ’s mystery of passion, death and resurrection. We are called here to participate to the fullness in this mystery. By participating in the mystery of Christ we also become holy and glorified. For this reason the Church considers these seven culminating days of Lent as “Holy Days”. All days of the earthly life of Jesus have reached their peak point. Until now Jesus’ mission was to preach and to teach the Good News and to manifest the power and efficacy of the Kingdom in his deeds of miracles. The three years of his public ministry has come to an end. Only one final act is remaining: to enter into Jerusalem and to die for the salvation of entire humanity. - One final act to be accomplished: This One Final Act has its beginning today as he decides to enter into Jerusalem – into the hands of the wicked that are planning to kill him. He alone knows why his entry into Jerusalem is so important. The disciples or the people might think that Jesus is coming for the Paschal Feast in the temple of Jerusalem as he was doing also other times and other years. No one would expect anything dramatic in his stay in Jerusalem. He is well known by this time with his preaching and wonderful works. His name was on the lips of both common people and of the authority as well. In fact, people were waiting for his coming. On the one hand, people were planning to welcome him with the joyful songs and embracing gestures like palms. On the other hand, even the religious authority is waiting for him not with the word of welcome but with the ‘accusation against him’ and with the ‘plot to kill him’. Beyond the expectations of these two categories of people, Jesus enters into Jerusalem on himself. He enters with the decision of facing the ‘hour’ that his Father has prepared and has asked him to ‘pass through’ it now. - ‘Hour of Glorification’: this ‘hour’ which will last for few days is, for Jesus, the ‘hour’ of glorifying God by giving himself totally in the fulfillment of His Will. The first moment of his glory was in miracle of Cana where he changed water into wine and his last moment of his glory is at the Last Supper where he changed wine into his blood, poured out for many. In the ordinary banquet water becomes wine and in the eternal banquet wine become the blood of Jesus. Jesus has made his journey from the first moment to the last. His journey was entering into its completion. His passage is from “my hour has not yet come” (John 2:4) to this day of “the hour has come” (Mark 14:41). Since his hour hasn’t come at the wedding of Cana he has only changed water into wine. Now the hour has come – the hour for which we has descended from heaven – to fulfill the act of glorification: the act in which he has to change the wine (earthly banquet) into his blood (eternal banquet). God’s glory is fully manifested in Jesus’ act of transforming this earthly joy into the heavenly joy. Glorification only through the humiliation - The people expected Messiah as the king who fights and enters into the glory with the victories. They considered Jesus as the Messiah when they have seen his wonders and his kind words. They thought that one day he would reject the Roman Empire and declare war and win it and thus establish his kingdom. May be this is thought that must be running in their minds when they sang “Hosanna” or praising the name of “Son of David.” On the contrary, Jesus takes the other way. Another root of entering into glory. He did not prefer the way that the people expected. His preferred way is the way of ‘abasement’ or ‘humiliation’. o He allowed himself to be ‘handed over’ to the authorities who, otherwise, could not do anything (“Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled” – Mark 14:49). o He permitted the sinners to take an upper hand for the moment after all he knows well that he is doing it all for them (“the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” – Mark 14:41). o He has given up himself for the human judgment. They have produced blame against him. They have mocked and insulted him. They have shouted at him with the cries of crufixiction. Even the thief at his left has tested him. He has undergone all this with the tolerance and with the kindness of heart. o Finally, he made people to give testimony for the meaning of all that has happened, meaning for his innocent and humiliating death: “And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41), and ultimate acknowledgment little further by Centurion, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Mark 15:39). - The two readings of today open for us this truth that the Son of Man has made himself small and helpless in his Final Act. The first reading of today expresses in the manner the servant of God is being put to the test and to the judgment: “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting” (Is 50:6). The highest form of his humiliation is proclaimed by Paul in his Christ-Hymn: “but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross” (Phil 2:7-8). The words that Paul coins express the ultimate humiliation that Jesus allowed himself to undergo. “Emptying oneself” – “making oneself a slave” – “humbling oneself” – and learning to be “obedient” in spite of being God, these are the attitude that Jesus has manifested. - It is through his power of his Father that Jesus has allowed himself to be crucified. Power of Jesus seems to be a slave to the human power or power of the world. In reality, his power is beyond human comprehension and surpasses worldly measure. It is the power which is appeared in humility. It is the power which is manifested in his abasement. It is the power which can offer itself to the powerless. And his power is God’s will and his love for the humanity. Power of love is not to over act or over look but to enter into the being that is in need of it. Man has become blind to know what the true power is. He has immersed in the mistaking the authority or superiority in the world as the power that can rule. The worldly power, in truth, can only dominate, destroy, exercise pride, and finally can only ruin the man and his nature. Alas! Man is not in the condition of understanding this truth. In his arrogance he closes his eyes. He refuses to see the truth. This is what exactly happens in the passion of Jesus. Man’s power seems to be playing with the divine power. But Jesus reveals the power of God’s ultimate love in his prayer from the cross – from his suffering and his pain: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). This is the actual power – divine power – that forgives all the limitedness of the human power. - Jesus’ death if viewed from the eyes of common man only teaches that everything is over: Jesus has surrendered everything of what he is to the human power which is ultimately expressed in his death on the cross. But Jesus’ death if viewed from the eyes of faith will put in evidence the truth that: He has done all that his Father has asked him to do and once he has completed his Final Act on the Cross he gives Him also his spirit: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). He has accomplished his mission in the world: mission of standing in the place of the accused/sinner (for man), and thus paying all that man is in debt (shedding his blood) and finally leading the powerless (finite man) to the All Powerful and Loving God (act of reconciliation). It is here, in his final commending the spirit to his Father that Jesus glorifies God and receives at the time glorification by the Father as the “Name above all the name of the earth” (Phil 2:11). The only way to enter into the glory of God, according to the Christian faith, is the way of self-surrender, obedience and humility. Jesus proclaims this underlying truth in his message and in his miracles: “The one who exalts himself will be humiliated and the one who humiliates himself will be exalted.” Jesus’ Passion is Our Strength in the Tribulations of Life - Psychological solitude: In the passion of Jesus we find that more than the physical pains of scourging and of thorns, what he had to endure above all is the mental agony of being “left alone” – he is abandoned by all. He finds himself alone in the face of sufferings. None of “his own” was there to stand by him. This is what would have made him more sorrowful and painful. But he had to “carry” these burdens, certainly not for himself, but for others. He decided to endure then until the end without giving up. The psychological solitude created by those who followed him for almost three years is the first “cross” he has to carry on his mind and heart. In fear and in discouragement of being shattered their wimps and fancies, the disciples have isolated him. It is not just abandonment but a betrayal from the part of his partners that he could not digest and that which made him upset in mind: o Judas Iscariot is the first one to betray him with the sweet kiss: a ‘kiss’ which is a gesture of love between the two beloved is now, for the first time, misused for the betrayal. The act of Judas is so painful not much because of his ‘agreement’ with the authorities to hand Jesus over to them. It became so hurting because Judas has betrayed him in the ultimate manner with the kiss of friendship. It is not just breaking the friendship but ‘destroying’ it by a cruel act. The same sign of love – kiss – is utilized to destroy the love. What could be more painful than this? The great Lover of the world is betrayed by the same love sign. o All the disciples who have already celebrated with him the Eucharistic meal have betrayed him:  First by failing to be awake with him in his agony: they could not understand what is going on in the heart of Jesus. They have their own preoccupations. They have their comfortable ways to sleep. Even when Jesus asked them to pray in this moment of ‘anguish’, they could not get what it means for him and for them. They failed in comprehending him and praying for him. They manifested that they are weak both in spirit and in flesh: in spirit because they could not participate in the agony of Jesus and in the flesh because they could not be awake at least for an hour.  Then by leaving him all alone before the soldiers who came to arrest him. They have not taken courage to ask or to question why and what of it. They just escaped the scene immediately and helplessly leaving Jesus to his fate. Jesus must have been little happy that at least this man, Peter, would stay by him when he attacked one of soldiers. But this too lasted only for a moment. o Peter’s denial is terrible: Jesus has already foretold it. Peter has promised that even if he had to die he would not go away from him. But when the actual moment has come to prove his loyalty he just had fallen into the temptation. He has not only denied him but above all, soothed him by saying that he never knew him. This attitude of Peter must have made Jesus more painful in the heart. o Alone to the Calvary: though now and then there are few people who have come to his aid, like his mother Mary, Simon the Cyrene, Veronica and the women who wept for him, all his journey was ‘alone’. So much of physical tiredness is added to the burning psychological solitude. - Spiritual solitude: until now Jesus was all alone from the Gethsemane to the Calvary. All his hope was in His Father who will take side of him. All of a sudden he finds himself deeply immersed in the spiritual solitude too. He experienced the abandonment also by his Father in whom he put his trust. His spirit became painful. He was enduring the pain of the body and of the mind and he had done this with the faith he had in his Father. Now his spirit is too suffering of the solitude. He could not bear this solitude. He cries out: “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” This is not a simple repetition or praying of the Psalm or to fulfill it by reciting it. It comes out from the deeper pain that he undergoes in this spiritual solitude. - His faithfulness to the Father is greater than his experience of solitude: Jesus commits himself completely to accomplish his Father’s will without looking for what would happen to him. He had done this at the beginning of his ‘journey of the passion’ in his prayer in Gethsemane: “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want” (Mark 14:36). From the first moment of his commitment towards his Final Act he is very firm in his attitude towards Father’s will. During the whole period of trial – arrest, judgment, scourging, cross, even in the moment of death – his only ‘food’/’nourishment’ was ‘fulfilling’ his Father’s will. And only for this he has come into the world. And for this he has entered into Jerusalem. And for this he has taken up his cross. And for this he breathes his last. And his last word reveals this: “It is finished” (John 19:30). He has accomplished his mission. His physical pain, mental agony, and spiritual solitude could not stop him in his mission. His firm faithfulness and committed obedience as the Son – Sent – into the World finally remained victorious. Conclusion: reflection on the passion – re-living the Christian mission - Hosanna is good but God prefers ‘Amen’: o Palms would help us to sing “Hosanna” to the Son of God and Son of David and to the One who comes in the name of the Lord. But making the Palm Sunday a Sunday of Palms alone is not enough. o We carry the palms. Make the processions. Prepare the crosses. Decorate the houses with the same crosses. And the Palm Sunday is over. Is it enough?  Instead of palms - Psalms should be in our arms: the intimate prayer offered to God.  Instead of procession – profession of faith should be our weapon.  Instead of preparing cross – bearing the trial with cheerfulness should be our commitment.  Instead of decorating the houses with palm crosses – bearing it on our hearts should be our journey of Calvary. - Power is fine but God sides the ‘humility’: o We long to grow and we need to grow. It is part and vocation of human life. We have to keep going and keep growing. In this vocation we also try to be ‘over’ the others. We strive to become powerful, authoritative and commanding. Indeed, it helps the individual and the community to grow well only if it used positively. o But Christian is called to be ‘powerful’ but not in the sense of the world but in the sense of the spirit. Power should be manifested in the meekness and humility. We have to humble ourselves in front of the mystery of God and for the well-being of the society too. In humility we rise to the glory. In meekness we become powerful. This is the Christian mystery and this is what Jesus himself places before our eyes by his character and attitude. The one who wants to be the first should be the last. The one who wants to the master should be the servant of all. if we really understand this we are ready to follow Jesus. - Participants of the Passion: o We are not just listeners of the passion narratives. We have to revive and live them. Each step that Jesus has made is for our walk. We place our step in his steps so that we are secure to reach where he has reached: not just to the cross and death but to the tomb and resurrection. o We have to learn to endure our trials: – be it created solitude by others/friends or family members, or be it physical illness, be it mental agony and also spiritual struggle between the will of doing good on the one hand and failing to do it on the other – we have only one model to follow: Jesus. We have to make God’s will “our daily bread” not only praying ‘thy will be done’ but ‘fulfilling his will’. o To be successful in our Christian mission we have to participate fully in the passion of Jesus. And that’s what the Church is asking us to do by introducing us into the Holy Week. Therefore, with the obedience and firm commitment “Let Us Walk into Jerusalem to Glorify God with the Sacrifice of Our Life.” (For the shorter reflection) - What Is Our Attitude Towards Jesus in His Last Moments? o The group of disciples: They have walked with him for three years. They have heard him and finally they have received his Body and Blood. Yet they all have escaped to the back benches: Judas Iscariot betrayed him, Peter denied him, all other have abandoned him. They have followed Jesus with one intention of inheriting the kingdom he will establish with the sword and war. Instead, things have not gone according to their thinking. They go farther for the worse. Their wishes are shattered. They could not comprehend the true intention and the mission of Jesus. They go back one by one when the moment of death appears before their eyes. Everyone has left Jesus alone. It is both because of their ignorance and their incapacity to understand Jesus. o The group of authorities: There is a group of Pharisees and Sadducees who have acted against Jesus out of jealousy for his knowledge and wisdom and of fear of losing their prominence in the society. They have very often, in fact in every moment of Jesus preaching and wonder working, wanted to trap him. It is with this jealousy and fear that they have caught Jesus and accused him. There is a group of government officials, Pilot and Herod and their soldiers, who have not seriously taken the situation. Instead of searching for the truth and the release of the innocent and thus to safeguard the justice, they have acted only to nourish their friendship and both have failed to be sincerely committed in their responsibility. They have used their power in order to please each other and to please the shouts of the small crowd. The soldiers have not entered really into the life of the accused, instead they have mocked him and tortured him in the bitter mode possible. They are neither ignorant nor incapable of understanding Jesus. They truly know that Jesus is just and blameless, yet they have acted against him with full knowledge and power. It is with the fear of losing their power they have condemned to Jesus to death. o The group of common people: The attitude is often fluctuating. They just go by the emotions of either joy or of misleading. The same people who have shouting with the joy “Hosanna! Hosanna!!!” on the Palm Sunday, on the Good Friday they shout with the wrong emotions “Crucify him!”. It is their ignorance and emotional imbalance that made them to accuse and offer Jesus to Pilot to put him to death. o The group of people of good will: There is a certain Simon the Cyrene who has helped Jesus to carry the cross. There is a certain Veronica who has tried to wipe the face of Jesus. There is a good thief who has realized Jesus to be innocent and ask him for the place in his Kingdom. There is at last the good Centurion who has read the signs that happened and believed Jesus to be the true Son of God. There is also Mary and John and other few people who have accompanied Jesus till the end because they could not leave him alone since he is one of them. There is also Joseph Arimatthia who has offered his tomb to place Jesus. o One final question for our reflection is this: to which of these groups we belong? What is our attitude towards Jesus who is suffering for you and for me? How can we understand him in these last hours of his? Can we really follow him till the end in order to stand under the cross, and if necessary to be with him on the cross? Jesus with lot of love and lot of desire to fulfill his Father’s will, carries his Cross without saying even a single word and how do we consider our daily crosses in life? Jesus with the blood on the body, with the love in his heart, looks at us and asks for our response. What is our answer to his suffering? Let us meditate and give him an authentic answer.