This "Practice Homily" Series is offered in conjunction with my journey towards becoming a Deacon in the Catholic Church. While I still have a little less than a year to go, our formation program has called us to begin writing homilies, or reflections on specific Sunday readings.
Reflection on Sunday Readings - March 24, 2013 (Palm Sunday)
Luke 19: 28-40; Isaiah 50: 4-7; Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24; Philippians 2: 6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56
Authentic Passion
Today we celebrate the triumphant arrival of Jesus Christ to the gates of our own hometown as we proclaim, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” (Luke 19:38) Today we acclaim him as “the one who brings salvation, shouting “Hosanna”, which means to save or to give salvation.” (CCC #559) Today the "King of glory" enters his City as the Prophet Zechariah foretold, as we shout, “Exult greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he, humble, and riding on a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) Today our Lord and Savior comes to our parish family, not, as it says in the Catechism, by “ruse or violence, but by the humility that bears witness to the truth.” (CCC #559) Today we are his loyal subjects cheering along with the Psalmist, singing "Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:26) We are the young and old, the rich and poor, the pious and the skeptic. Today Jesus enters into Jerusalem, into this parish, and into our hearts! And so begins Holy Week. (CCC #560)
One could say that this is a tale of two passions. One is the passion of our misguided hopes and dreams that seem to be fulfilled in today’s arrival of the King, to save us and more importantly, lead us into a battle that we were never meant to fight. The other is the promised Passion of our Lord and Messiah, who would walk the way of suffering for us, bearing our iniquities on the shoulders of his crucified body.
Today’s elation for Christ, our great hero and conqueror, would be misunderstood as a political victory that would turn into dismay, disappointment, and great distain, for not only will Jesus relinquish his power to Pilate and the leaders of Jerusalem, he will submit himself to humiliation and scorn. This would drive all to say that this is NOT the plan, and this is NOT the behavior of a king that would free us! So in a matter of days, our shouts of “Hosanna in the highest,” turn to shouts of “Free Barabbas [and] Crucify HIM!” All of this simply reveals our human nature to stay in our worldly comfort zones, rather than trust in the promise made by God, to send His only Son to show us the way, truth and the light of salvation.
The Gospel reading at the beginning of today’s procession is meant to invite us to imitate and even relive this triumphant event, but do so from the perspective of Jesus’ disciples, so as to learn more about our own discipleship. Think about it, after all those years of learning, and witnessing Jesus’ miraculous way, it must have been amazing to experience this kind of royal reception, even though he was riding in on a donkey. Interestingly enough, the disciples, the crowd, and us here today have to face a tough question: How many will be ready to suffer with him when the “authorities” challenge his person and his teachings?
Before you answer, our readings today offer you a chance to make an informed decision. In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah, in the third of what are known as his four “Servant Songs”, outlines a job description for discipleship, one that calls for us to live as a suffering servant. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; [and] my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” Isaiah also defines the confidence and the trust that the servant must have, “The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 50: 6-7) The Psalmist sings with the same trust even in the face of abandonment, “I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you: “You who fear the LORD, praise him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him; revere him, all you descendants of Israel!” (Psalm 22:24)
In our second reading, St. Paul sings a hymn of his own, reminding us of the real Christ whom we seek to imitate and serve. The is hymn, referred to as “kenotic”, or self emptying, “describes how Jesus freely and with great love for all humanity, chose to let go of his Godhead, [or kingship] to become fully human” (Foundations... LTP, 38) like us. This letting go allowed Christ to experience our humanity and all of its trials, uncertainty, and pain, so as to live a life of humility and obedience. Paul’s hymn also reveres Christ for his fidelity and trust in the will of God the Father. It is this fidelity to God and His values that ultimately brings Jesus into conflict with the values of the world that are alien to God. St. Paul tells the Philippians that Jesus IS Lord, and the perfect example of what a servant is called to be. “Because of [Christ’s] willingness to die rather than compromise his fidelity to God’s values, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that 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.” (Philippians 2: 9-11)
Which brings us back to the second of our two passions. “Luke’s Passion of Christ focuses on Jesus as an innocent victim, unjustly accused and condemned by powers alien to God... Despite the injustice, Jesus never turns back [and]... continues to model what faithful discipleship entails.” (Foundations... LTP, 38) His passion and suffering offers his disciples, the crowd in Jerusalem, and the you and I here today, the example of how to face our struggles with conviction and courage. While on the cross, Jesus comforts the sorrowing women, forgives his persecutors and the good thief, welcoming him into paradise, and commends himself into God’s hands. Luke’s Jesus culminates his ministry on earth, modeling for all of us, what it truly means to be a faithful disciple, living, witnessing, suffering, and dying with complete trust in God.
Holy Week has now begun, and our journey through these next seven days offers us a choice between two passions. Shall we stick with the passion of our own desires, or consider following the Passion of Jesus Christ, and God’s desire for us to live with him forever. This week offers our church, and the diocese renewed purpose as our priests gather with the Bishop for the annual blessing of the holy oils during Tuesday’s Chrism Mass. We will learn how to serve the Church as an authentic disciple in Holy Thursday’s washing of the feet. We will walk the Good Friday Way of the Cross together, and reflect on the Passion again, as we learn how to survive the struggle by emptying ourselves to God’s will! Saturday’s Easter Vigil will reveal to us, and new members of our faith, the full story of God’s people, as we walked out of the darkness of death into the light of a new creation! And on Sunday, one week from today, we will celebrate Easter and the miracle of the risen Christ!
May your Holy Week be full of prayer, and many blessings. May our community welcome the Messiah this day into our church, and into our hearts. And may we learn, from his example, to teach one another the power of God’s love!
"God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.” Acts 2: 32-33
