His death frees us from enslavement to sin. This phrase
from the opening prayer of last Friday’s Mass calls us to a living experience
of this Sunday’s celebration, Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion[1].
The crowd was
enthusiastic. They waved palms, cried Hosanna,
and hailed the Messiah’s entrance into Jerusalem. As the prophet Zechariah had foretold, the
Savior came meek, riding on an ass. The world was being turned upside down. The
time of the Messiah was here. But he was a very different type of Messiah. He
was not a military leader. He entered the city in a humble way, on a donkey. He
would be driven out of the city in an even lower way, carrying a cross.
We are tempted
to consider Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, but ignore His exit from the city. It
is easy to join in the joyful celebrations of our faith. We go to Church on
Christmas and Easter and leave full of warmth. We go to confession or receive
communion and feel His love within us. We present our children for baptism,
communion and confirmation, and overflow with love for them and the God who
calls them to Himself. We attend a retreat or conference and have a deep
experience of the Lord’s presence. And so we say, “Isn’t it great to be a
Catholic?” In these and many other ways we join the crowd welcoming the Messiah
into our city, into our lives.
Then we realize
that the palms are followed by the passion. And the joy of experiencing the
Presence of the Lord is followed by His demand to join Him in the journey of
sacrificial love, in the journey up to Calvary.
And this is
difficult, at times even overwhelming. We know that we are called to stand
apart from the immoral aspects of society. We know that we are called to be
holy. But we are continually drawn in to join those who don’t for a second care
about God. Certainly they see no relationship between their actions and their
own Creator. They are the vocal majority. They host the best parties with all
the worst elements. They confuse freedom
with licentiousness. They tell us to abort the child and join the party. They
laugh at our decision to care for a special needs child. “Look at all you are
missing,” they say. And we can be overwhelmed by our decision to choose the
Lord rather than go along with the crowd.
But then we look
at the cross. And we say, “Look at all you are missing,” We see how much our
God loves us. We shout out, “It is good for us to be here,” not on the Mountain
of the Transfiguration, but on the Mountain of Calvary. And we experience the
joy of following Him, following Him not just in the triumph of the palms, but
also in the triumph of the cross. We
walk away from the immoral crowd and walk with Jesus. He draws us to Himself,
to His cross. And in this way He frees us from enslavement to sin.
This Sunday
appears to be about two events, the entrance with palms into Jerusalem and the
exit with a cross to Calvary. But it is
really about one event: the call to follow the Lord wherever He leads us in joy
and in sorrow. May our celebration of Holy Week and Easter lead us to a deeper personal
experience of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection ■
[1] Sunday 24th
March, 2013, Palm Sunday. Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? - Ps 21(22):8-9, 17-20,
23-24. Philippians 2:6-11. Luke 22:14 – 23:56.
