2021

Today we hold in our hands palm branches blessed moments ago. In the ancient world palm branches symbolized victory. For the ancient Israelites, the elegance, strength, and simplicity of the palm tree became a symbol for the just person, those in whom God’s law triumphed.

The palm tree also symbolized victory for the Romans. Palm trees were not native to Italy. Whenever Roman generals conquered other lands, they brought them back as souvenirs of their victories.

The crowds waving palm branches as Jesus entered Jerusalem were declaring his victory. Today we echo them, we join them, declaring Christ’s victory over original sin. Original sin was mankind’s original disobedience to God and obedience to the devil.

That disobedient act in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve let loose the scourge of evil we struggle with still today. Witness the many instances of mass shootings in our country, most recently in Boulder and Atlanta. The misery in Central America prompting thousands to flee from their homelands to gather at our southern border. The myriad of civil wars in numerous nations waging on for years. Racial discrimination in a country, namely ours, that clams everyone is created equal yet for many that remains untrue. Original sin gave the devil a certain damaging power over earthly society.

Through his passion, death and resurrection, the events we will celebrate during Holy Week, Jesus reversed the disobedience of original sin by obeying his Father’s will in spite of the many attempts of the devil to thwart him: betrayal by Judas, denial by Peter, abandonment by the apostles, false accusations by the Pharisees and chief priests, being condemned, scourged, whipped, crowned with thorns, then crucified in the most humiating and painful manner of execution ever devised.  All of that was intended by the devil to get Jesus to say “No,” to his Father. But he didn’t.

Tradition holds that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a humble animal used for carrying burdens. Jesus chose that beast for good reason. In biblical times, earthly leaders rode a donkey into the city celebrating their victories.  That is why the people shouted “Hosanna!” when they saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. This was a sign to them  that Jesus was about to usher in his kingdom of peace, even though they did not yet fully understand what kind of a kingdom this truly was.

Unlike earthly victorious leaders, Jesus rode a donkey as an act of humility. This virtue is what enabled him to do as Paul mentioned in his letter, “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.”

Jesus is truly a king but one like no other. His conquest was not of land. His conquest was sin. Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus did not turn his back on God. He continued to say yes to love, forgive and obey through that excruciating week of his life. Unlike every other person in history, Jeus could honestly say, “I have not rebelled.” His obedience established a beachhead in this world that is still under the devil’s sway.  While grasping these palms, be mindful that as the Son of God, Jesus was driven by love and justice, a strong challenge to human arrogance and indifference. His passion is D Day for the devil and liberation for us. This souvenir of palms reminds us of the victory over sin we continue to celebrate as we journey toward Easter.

A fellow walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what had. He replied, “Shingles.” So she took down his name, address, medical insurance, and told him to have a seat. Fifteen minutes later, a nurse’s aide came out and asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.”

So she noted his height, weight, and complete medical history then told him to wait in the examining room. A half hour later a nurse asked him what he had and again he replied, “Shingles.” So she took his blood pressure and told him to wait for the doctor. Thirty minutes later, the doctor came in and asked what he had. Once again, he said, “Shingles.” The doctor asked, “Where?” “Outside in the truck. Where do you want them?”

Like everyone in the doctor’s office who never considered what else the word shingles could mean, we often limit our perception of a message, hearing only want we want to hear and not hearing what the speaker intended. In the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, our first inclination is to think that what happened to Lazarus will happen to us.

Martha speaks for us when she tells Jesus, “I know my brother will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” We also believe our lives will be transformed and Jesus affirms that when he tells her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

The promise of new life waiting us beyond our physical death must not taken for granted. To cross the threshold of heaven, we must be forgiven. For this reason, we often implore God to forgive us, such as when we say the Lord’s Prayer and ask, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The not so obvious message in today’s readings is the need to initiate reconciliation when we have been wronged. I am drawn to the command Jesus gives at the end of the gospel. “Untie him and let him go.” How often have we figuratively tied up and left for dead someone whom we refuse to forgive in spite of that promise we make in the Lord’s Prayer?

Jesus assures Martha and he assures us that if we believe in him, we will live. If we do believe in him, then we must forgive, and in the act of forgiving, of untying and letting go, we will find new life in this lifetime.

Broken relationships, even simple misunderstandings, can result in much hurt, despair, grief and/or anger. This can be as painful, if not more so than mourning a physical death, much less coping with shingles. In the wake of a break-up, feelings of anger and hatred can leave a stench, so to speak. Let them remain buried is the reaction I sometimes encounter when someone is reluctant to forgive past hurts. Those who have taken the time to look at their past and extend forgiveness by letting go of ill feelings are blessed with new life. Alan Paton, an author from South Africa, wisely observed, “When an injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive.”

When we estrange ourselves from someone, we are left with two options. We can let the relationship die, becoming a grave full of painful memories, or we can forgive, which is the first step toward reconciliation.

Forgiveness, however, is not the same as forgetting. In his book, Strength to Love, Martin Luther King, Jr. noted, “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” The person who was wronged, he pointed out, must always initiate the forgiving act. “Forgiveness,” he wrote, “doesn’t mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means rather, that the evil act no longer remains a barrier to the relationship. Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning.”

Granted we may not forget what was done but when we forgive, somehow the evil deed is no longer a mental block impeding a new relationship. Forgiveness means coming together again, knowing that the wrongful act never expressed all that the person you are forgiving was or is. God knows that there is some evil in the best of us but also that there is some good in the worst of us, thus God is always willing to forgive and urges us to do the same.

Each of us must understand that our time in this world is so short, that darkening it with useless arguments, jealousy, not forgiving others, discontentment and bad attitudes are a waste of time and energy. Did someone insult you without reason? Stay calm and move on. Did a neighbor make a comment that you didn’t like? Stay calm. Ignore it. Our trip together in this lifetime is too short. In the time we have left, let us appreciate friends and family, be respectful, kind and forgiving. Because we will be filled with gratitude and joy, after all when we get to our ultimate destination, endless life with Christ in the eternal kingdom.

As we did last Sunday, we deviated from the usual readings to provide special readings for those whom the Church calls the elect, folks preparing for baptism at the Easter vigil. Last Sunday, we heard the story of the woman at the well who was quick to share the news with others in her village that she had encountered Christ. Centuries later that same experience continues when some of us boldly share with others the beauty of knowing Christ.

Today we heard about the man born blind and next Sunday we will hear the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. These stories are not just for the Elect, they are important for the rest of us as well. The Church uses these gospel stories to help us look into our lives, examine our hearts, and know that God is there for us.

Like the blind man, for many of us, our initial perception of Jesus was limited. The Samaritan woman was quick to grasp that Jesus was the Messiah, but the blind man at first saw Jesus only as an extraordinary healer. “He is a prophet,” was his reply to those who questioned him. After being tossed out, he encountered Jesus again and this time, he sees Jesus for who he really is: the Son of Man.

His story illustrates what can happen to us on our faith journey. Throughout our life span, our bodies change as we age. We go through physical stages: babies become children; children become teenagers; they become young adults; in due time adults experience midlife and finally their golden years. Faith is likewise a life long journey that begins in infancy, growing within us as we age.

Unless we endeavor to nurture our relationship with God, our faith can be arrested along the way. How teenagers look at faith and God, for example, is often the same way they approach life in general; testing the limits of permissiveness. What must we do and what can’t we do? They see their relationship with God and the Church as a bunch of rules to be followed. Many adults continue to live their faith in much the same way, without realizing as they grow older, that there is much more to a faith relationship with Jesus than following the rules of life, laid down by God and society.

This was why Jesus was so frustrated with the Pharisees. They were obsessed with following the rules; not just the Ten Commandments, but also the countless other rules and regulations, which they considered to be just as important. They objected to what Jesus did, because to them, the act of mixing clay with saliva was work, which was forbidden on the Sabbath. Since Jesus did this on the Sabbath, they judged him a sinner, not a miracle worker.

They were so focused on what Jesus did physically, they were blind to what he was actually doing: opening a man’s eyes to seeing that God is compassionate and forgiving, rather than judgmental and vengeful.

Fortunately none of us are physically blind, but have you ever considered how blind you might be spiritually to the good news of forgiveness and love that Jesus sets before us? There is much wisdom behind what God asks of us, but many people don’t try to see that. Instead they see them as rules that can be ignored.

Like the Pharisees, some of us are quick to judge the faults of others. Or finding endless faults within ourselves, we are convinced that God could never forgive us for the many sins we have committed. In doing so, we blind ourselves to God’s compassion and love and that can be deadly to our spiritual well being.

With the passing of time, both our spiritual and moral vision can become clouded, like eyes often do with cataracts. Ask anyone who has had cataracts and they will tell you that their dimming eyesight was so gradual that they did not realize what was happening to them. Likewise, the shift for us in our spiritual vision can be so gradual that we fail to see the sin in the values we choose and its consequences much less appreciate the full beauty of our Catholic faith.

Sin causes us to be spiritually impaired. The sin of pride, for example, blinded the Pharisees from seeing what was ultimately good, despite all they claimed to know. They refused to hear, much less grasp the truth God has for them and for us. Is pride preventing us from hearing God today?

St. Paul urges us, “You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of good ness and righteousness and truth.” Those who will be baptized this Easter aren’t coming to the sacrament unprepared. Realizing that they were in darkness, they seek to learn about the faith that enables us to live with the light of Christ guiding us throughout our lives, blessing us with the wisdom to follow his example and make this a better world.

Imagine how different our world would be if we would all consciously strive to “learn what is pleasing to the Lord and take no part in the fruitless works of darkness.” We would avoid sin at all cost by endeavoring to deepen our relationship with Christ. This we could do if we are willing to seek the light of Christ and discover through prayer and reflection the wisdom behind why God asks us to be children of light in what we say and do.

Imagine having a zip lock bag full of 1000 pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Missing is a photo of the picture that will emerge once the puzzle is completed. Looking at a single piece of the puzzle, you obviously will have no idea what the whole picture would look like until you have spent much time putting the pieces together. Your initial perception of the picture will change as you put more and more pieces together.

The same could be said for our understanding of God. The picture we have of God is incomplete and will remain so until we encounter God after crossing the threshold of death. Until then, God endeavors to reveal himself to us in numerous ways through prayer, worship, scripture, nature, friends, and homilies. Being infinite, God takes his time to do so.

This hour we spend in worship is to the backdrop of history smaller than a pixel is to a giant TV screen. The consensus among scientists is that the universe began more than 14 billion years ago, our solar system emerged ten billion years later, life emerged on earth a billion years later, mammals 100 million years ago; human beings stepped out of caves 70,000 years ago and began to record history only 10,000 years ago. To God that is all a blink in time.

In those 10,000 years, humanity’s grasp of God has evolved from worshipping many gods, each with a purpose, to our triune God. When the moment was right, God emerged from a cave in Bethlehem in the person of Jesus. He came when people had an even more limited notion of God than we do.

In the time Jesus spent, walking around the holy land, performing miracles, challenging the Pharisees and tutoring his disciples, he undoubtedly ruffled many feathers. Jesus challenged the status quo, upending their expectations of what the Messiah should and would be. He constantly spoke of the kingdom of God.

To some of his listeners, that was rather political. To the Pharisees, his message was disconcerting, thus they often plotted to find ways to kill him. The apostles envisioned the emergence of a new earthly kingdom, freeing them from the oppressive Romans. In due time they came to understand the bigger picture of what Jesus meant by heeding the advice that God gave them on Mt. Tabor. “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

Someone else who listened was Abraham.  What God asked of him to sacrifice Isaac is shocking, so what is the meaning behind this? In those days, human sacrifice was a common practice among pagans. They thought the practice pleased their gods but in fact God was telling Abraham, the father of our faith, that human sacrifice was abhorrent. Instead of reacting and jumping to conclusions, Abraham listened to God; he was willing to sacrifice what mattered most to him, thus he went on to be blessed with descendants as numerous as the stars. He knew that God would provide.

Centuries later, Peter, James and John on a high mountain were blessed to see Jesus in a different light. The transfiguration takes place at a crucial moment in the unfolding of Jesus’ mission. He had posed the question to them, “Who do you say that I am?” Even on the eve of his last Passover, many of the disciples still imagine that as the Christ, Jesus would be their earthly king; greeting him as he entered Jerusalem with palms and praises. Weeks later, all the pieces of the puzzle came together for them at Pentecost and at last they began to see the whole picture of what Jesus and the kingdom of God truly is.

Today, does this event prompt you to see Jesus differently? Throughout history, mankind has sought answers to pressing questions that simmer deep within his heart: why are we here? How can we find the happiness we yearn for? Why is there suffering and evil?

God has responded not with philosophy or formulas but with the person of his beloved son, Jesus. God answers our questions through his son’s life, teachings, death and resurrection. Christ is the answer, and it is up to us to get to know him. So what the apostles heard on Mt. Tabor is timely advice for us: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

How readily do we listen to him? How faithfully do we follow him? Pope John Paul II wrote, “Jesus Christ is the center of the universe and of history.” A probing question for us to ponder would be, “Is he really the center of my life?”

Three major voices compete with Christ for our attention, voices we are in danger of listening to more closely than we should. The voice of popularity can destroy our friendship with Christ, because the Catholic thing to do is not always the popular thing to do. Second is the voice of pleasure, namely, certain desires that become addictions, which enslave us. Third is the voice of profit. Money is a great deceiver, but true happiness doesn’t come from pleasure or popularity. Lasting true happiness comes from a mature friendship with Christ, which money cannot buy.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came into the world to offer us advice on how to find the kingdom of God and lasting joy. He is God made man, not just an exceptionally wise man, but God himself, who seeks to make this a better world. In spite of the many clamoring voices competing for our loyalty, listen to him, for he is the way leading us to eternal life.