Homily for the blessing of the palms
Did you notice something strange about Luke’s version of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem? No palms. Unlike Matthew and Mark in their accounts, Luke makes no mention of palm branches being waved or hosannas being sung by the onlookers. Instead, the crowds repeat the song of the angels at Bethlehem to welcome the newborn king, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.”
Instead of laying palm branches on the road, the people placed their single most important article of clothing…their cloaks along Jesus’ path. Chances are we own more coats and jackets than we can count, but in biblical times, the cloak was the most expensive article of clothing that a person possessed. Most people only owned one, which was constantly mended and rarely discarded. For the poorest of the poor, a cloak was more than an article of clothing…it was often their shelter and their home.
The crowds placed before Jesus what they treasured most. Placing their cloaks on the ground was the sort of thing that people did whenever an ancient king entered the city as an acknowledgement of their submission to his rule and his dominion over them.
We are about to enter the holiest week of the year. Notice that the people of Jerusalem empty themselves of their most precious possession to welcome into their midst the anointed one of God, the Messiah, and his reign of peace. In a few days, Christ will empty himself as well, first at the Mount of Olives where he prays fervently, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” Then hours later on the cross, after much scourging, he cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Jesus empties himself of his very divinity in obedience to the Father’s will that humanity should be reconciled to God through his passion.
To be disciples of Christ we need to put aside our “cloaks” of comfort and self absorption to embrace Jesus’ spirit of humility and selflessness, to “empty” ourselves of our pride and our wants to become God’s vessels of life and love.
We will leave here with palms; holding on to them links us with the crowds that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. But a few days later, that all changed when they insisted that he be crucified. Popular opinion certainly persuaded people to change their minds. The same is true today. We are here now to wave branches but will we be here in a few days?
Are we willing to surrender our most precious thing, namely our time, to be present to Jesus in the days ahead? As we venture into the holiest week of the year, are we willing to forgo our usual routine to journey with Christ from the Last Supper to his trial, then his scourging, his ordeal of carrying that cross, and finally his death?
I hope that your answer is a resounding “Yes!” Many times in his ministry, Jesus alluded to himself as the Messiah mostly in veiled terms, but on this day, he entered the city fully revealing himself as Christ the king, as the Messiah, as our savior. Let us then join the multitudes who once proclaimed, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” But unlike them, let us praise the King of Glory all the days of our lives.
Homily for the Passion
With great fanfare, the crowds welcomed Jesus into the holy city. Their expectationsran high that he would liberate them from the oppression of the Romans. “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” they proclaimed with great joy. But their joy was short-lived when they realized that this was not the Messiah they were expecting.
Within days, their great anticipation of a liberator soured. Given the chance by Pontius Pilate to free him, the crowds instead protested, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The rumor mill had gone into overtime, circulating the allegations that this Jesus of Nazareth was nothing more than a charlatan, a man who claimed to be the Son of God.
How could they do such an about face? I cannot say, any more than I can explain why some of us have done the same thing. Many once familiar faces are now absent from the congregation for any number of reasons. Like the crowd in Jerusalem, perhaps their expectations weren’t being met.
As we start Holy Week, we ought to ponder what our expectations of Jesus Christ really are. What is he to liberate us from? Before we answer that question, though, think hard about what he did for you. He died on the cross.
The Romans performed crucifixions frequently so Jesus knew what was in store for him. The victim on the cross doesn’t bleed to death. As he weakens, he slowly suffocates. No wonder in the garden, Jesus begged, “If you are willing, take this cup away from me.” Who could blame him?
Fortunately for you and me, he followed not his will but his Father’s will to free us from the grip of sin. He suffered for the sinfulness of every person who has and ever will live. We mustn’t forget that.
In return, Jesus doesn’t expectus to experience the same excruciating pain but he does ask that we share in his suffering. He asks that we deny ourselves a few pleasures for the sake of others, which is why the Church has always encouraged us to give up something for Lent. “Have I sacrificed anything during this Lenten season as a sign of my gratitude for all that Jesus has done for me?” If your answer to that question is no, or not really much, then I ask you to do two things during Holy Week.
Take a Rice Bowl container home if you haven’t yet done so. I notice that there are plenty of them still available. Bring it back next Sunday on Easter or later filled with your donation to CCS that will enable others to simply eat. Fill it with your loose change or better yet with a generous check. Secondly, make some sacrifices; deny some of your usual pleasures, like TV or snacks so that this week isn’t like any other week to give yourself an inkling of his suffering. Come to at least one of the Triduum liturgies on Holy Thursday, Good Friday or the Vigil. As Jesus said 2000 years ago, “Not my will but yours be done.” Can we give God the same response?
As Luke revealed, not every one could; his narrative showed many divided hearts and loyalties. Only Jesus maintains control of his will until the end, firmly obedient to God and trusting in God’s promise. As his last hours unfolded, Jesus remained true to himself. He stopped the violence at the time of his arrest, he healed the innocent bystander, he continued to berate the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, he warned the women he met on the way to Calvary and he ministered to the thief being executed alongside him. In short, he emptied himself of his ego, of any need to be the greatest.
This is why God exalted him. Following his example of humble obedience to the Father, we can expect one day be with him in paradise too.