Father Nathan Homily | April 05, 2020
Palm Sunday
Father Nathan | Homily
Palm Sunday
Todays Readings:
Procession with Palms — Matthew 21:1-11
First Reading — Isaiah 50:4-7
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?
Second Reading — Phillippians 2: 6-11
Gospel Reading — Matthew 26:14 — 27:66
My dear people,
For the first time in my life and my acedemic background that the church is pushed to contemplate and commemorate the death and passion of Christ differently. It is historic.
As I was sitting at my table to prepare the homily, I have gone through into the deep melancholy after going through the readings.
I found that I was touched and affected by them. In a way, it was a different experience for me to know Jesus and to understand him differently. I found myself caught up in the great unfolding drama of the passion. I found myself silenced by the most poignant story the world has ever known.
What moved me first of all was the suffering and humiliation to which Jesus was subjected.
The first reading so wonderfully explains to us and predicts the suffering and humiliation of Jesus.
No doubt that the psalm beautifully captures the suffering of the obedient and faithful servant.
The second reading Paul’s letter to Philippians talks about the core life of Jesus
“Jesus emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
The Passion
The details from the passion are the most harrowing and disturbing of all.
Herod, together with his guards, treated him with contempt and made fun of him. The leaders jeered at him, the soldiers mocked him, even the criminal hanging beside him had the surviving gall to abuse him. And all these different verbs, these fragmented hatreds, were sublimed, concentrated and amplified in one soaring, irrational demand
”Crucify him! Crucify him!”
It’s not possible to feel the impact of today’s reading and not be moved.
The second thing that moved me very much was the attitude with which our lord Jesus carried himself. His was a composite attitude that went outwards and upwards.
In going outwards he didn’t strike back. He didn’t retaliate. He didn’t return evil for evil. There was no attempt to outdo them in bitterness or vituperation or outburst. Their malice was swallowed up in his mercy by his word
“FATHER FORGIVE THEM; THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING”
His generous, redemptive, sacrificial and positive attitude is a challenge to the world.
That story of the passion is not just a description. It’s an invitation for us too.
The passion of Christ is not over at all. It’s meant to be reproduced every day in our lives. St. Paul understood that very well when he said to the Philippians
“…that I may come to know him and the power of his resurrection, and partake of his suffering by being molded to the pattern of his death.” —Philippians 3:10
St. Paul was echoing Christ.
‘if anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for me will find it.” — Matthew 16:24-25
Now how do we enter more fully into the passion of Christ?
It’s the question of the day. There is a suffering in all our lives. Especially at this moment, the whole world is under stress and suffering.
Who knows, maybe some of us are struggling with sickness, loneliness, depression or stress…
We need to be like Christ and go upward.
Though it’s not easy, it’s not enough for us to admire him rather we need to imitate him …..
Amen…
Stay safe and be reassured that God is with you in this time of crisis and isolation!
Stay connected to others during this time through phone, email and social media.
Have a Blessed Week,
Fr. Nathan
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