Palm Sunday, year ’C’ 20th March 2016
“Now the Son of Man is glorified.”
Is.50,4-7 Ps.21 Ph.2,6-11 Lk. ch. 22,14 - ch.23,56
“When the time came, he took his place at table, and the Apostles with him. And he said to them ’I have ardently longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; because I tell you, I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”
In the mystery of Jesus we are introduced into the admirable Eucharistic exchange when ’Jesus took his place at table’
In his Immense Love, Jesus opens up his Heart to us and kisses us with his Love after having kissed humanity in Mary’s Body. Judas offers him the kiss of betrayal and Jesus of betrayed love, of Mercy. Each gesture of a kiss is lived in silence, in the deep heart. Every kiss is done in silence, people who love each other don’t speak. Already the Song of Songs speaks like this ’oh that he would kiss me with the kiss of his mouth!’
If John translates’ What you have to do, do it quickly.’, Luke will say ’Judas, it is with a kiss that you betray the Son of man!’
Jesus manifests a lively conscience of what is going to be produced. He goes beyond the outcome o his death. His life is a slow walk up to Jerusalem, Jesus ’was walking in front of his disciples towards Jerusalem.’
Jesus opens up his Passion : ’I have so desired to eat this Paschal meal with you.’
In his lowliness, Jesus expresses himself like this :
’ Now the Son of man is glorified.’
In a state of anguish, he prays relentlessly, and his sweat becomes like drops of blood that fall to the ground. Jesus has his hands tied, a crown of thorns on his head, a cloak of derision on his shoulder : ’He is glorified.’
He is glorified because he is Love. On his knees washing the feet of his disciples.
It is particularity of Love to lower oneself. God, Infinite Love, is going to know an infinite lowering. The Gentleness and humility of Jesus overcome, they conquer.
"..The other criminal said ’Jesus , remember me when you come into your kingdom. He answered him ’Truly I declare, today you will be with me in paradise.’ It was now about the sixth hour and the sun’s light faded, so the darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Sanctuary was torn right down the middle.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice saying ’Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ With these words he breathed his last.
When the centurion saw what had taken place, he gave praise to god and said ’Truly, this was an upright man.’ And when all the crowds who had gathered for the spectacle saw what had happened, they went home beating their breasts."
’The one I kiss is him’ said Judas. It is a kiss of an apprehended death ,a declaration that the time has come to put an end to what he no longer believes in! Inaugurated kiss of the fullness of the Incarnation which brings to light the rifts which all the disciples will go through.
Jesus is living a tragedy which will kill him , yet he consoles the women of Jerusalem : Don’t cry over me!
He prays that the Father will forgive those who torture him and mistreat him : ’Father, forgive them, for they know no what they do.
He said to the Good Thief , as an absolution, ’Today you shall be with me in paradise.
His last words will be enveloped by the confidence and serenity within himself : ’Father, into your hands, I commend my Spirit.’
"It was Preparation Day and the Sabbath was beginning to grow light.
Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following Joseph of Arimathea behind. They took note of the tomb and how the body had been laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments."
In calling Judas a friend, Jesus has him feel that it was exactly for this time that he was sent. He delivers up to us the supreme recommendation of his whole life : for him, friend and enemy are similar words, identical, interchangeable! Yesterday’s friend can become tomorrow’s enemy and yesterday’s enemy can become tomorrow’s friend!
Judas gave a kiss, Peter gave a kiss.Peter who is adamant that he will follow him wherever he goes, will nevertheless betray him before the cock crows. We too are likely to experience this kind of betrayal.
But at the heart of our betrayals, we shall hear Jesus call us his friend. Such a delightful word which reveals to us the true meaning of God. There is a great gentleness to hear the God of Heaven and earth call us his friend in the darkest moments of our journey.
We are invited to share in the feelings of Jesus and his sufferings, for we are his disciples.
In his Infinite Love, Jesus gives himself in an extraordinary humility. From the top of the Cross he forgives all those who don’t know what they are doing. His way is one of gentleness and goodness. To the man condemned to death on his right He will say’ Today you shall be with me in Paradise.’ It is a huge mystery and we need to penetrate it. The one who was made into the smallest child of the Woman manifests God ’Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a God who is nothing but Love, a relationship of Love. A God who wants only to do good.
We enter into this big week of Holy Week, and so we ask to touch the Love of the Heart of Our Father.
PALM SUNDAY, year ’B’
“Jesus, who being in the form of God,did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as himan beings are; and being in every way like a human being.”
We ourselves are unable to enter into such a great mystery. We need to ask for the grace to live the Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord. How many brothers are still today unfairly condemned, tortured,slapped, struck, put to death; at times it is entire populations who go through this type of violent suffering. Jesus recapitulated everything in His Passion. God, in Jesus, humbled Himself so as to reveal that divine Love is stronger than hatred. We, too, would like to be able to accept to become humble on the road of life, not suffering in a masochistic way,but in order to become rich in God, the Source of all Love.
“He was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names.” How many poor people undergo the Passion! In the Church, the Body of Christ, we come to help all those who are submerged in suffering. In order to save humanity, Jesus will draw all his strength, his ardour, from the Heart of his Father. Jesus said ’You will leave me to myself, yet I am never alone, the Father is always with me.’ They take him to be crucified and they call upon someone passing by to carry his Cross. it is Simon Cyrene, coming home from working in fields. “Calling upon”, this term is so strong! Someone who had done his day’s work somewhere else, not asking anything from anyone! We know what this means, “to be called upon”! How many brothers are there who in a mysterious way are “called upon” by nature or through trials, to carry Jesus’ Cross.Day by day we want to walk alongside them and to accompany them. In order to do so, we enter into the mystery of Compassion such as Jesus’ Mother had lived.
“So that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.” The Saints had asked for the grace to be introduced into this Mystery.They put themselves at the service of the poor. “Who are my sisters? Who are my brothers? Those who do the Will of God.” Mary dwelt in the shadow of the Cross, offered up with Jesus.She was
given to John, so that we could sustain the great combat Jesus has for Justice and Peace, wih her. With her, we sustain this great combat of Jesus. When Simon of Cyrene reaches he summit of Golgotha, after having carried the cross with Jesus, he was transformed. He hed been completely turned around inside by the encounter with the Cruscified Jesus, completely changed. We too are also in Compassion with those who bear Jesus’ Cross with Mary in this mystery of Compassion.