Palm Sunday
April 17, 2011
To see the readings, click here:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/041711.shtml
Here we are at Palm Sunday again! I can hardly believe five weeks of Lent have passed. Now we stand at the beginning of Holy Week, where it all comes together. And of course, it especially comes together today. I've always found it fascinating how the entire Holy Week experience is covered in the Palm Sunday Mass, then played out again in more detail at the Triduum.
Actually, this one Sunday covers even more than the Triduum. It starts with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with his death. It makes this one Mass such an emotionally draining experience. First, the triumphant entry, with the crowds singing hosannah. Then the Last Supper, where Jesus instituted the Eucharist. On to Gethsemane, where Jesus prays while his followers doze, and then the betrayal. Then the interrogation, the condemnation, the opportunity offered to the crowd to spare Jesus, and on to the debasing, crucifixion, and death of Jesus. By that time I always feel like I've been through a wringer. Especially because at my parish, like most, they do the gospel reading with the congregation reading all the crowd parts, so you actually hear yourself saying "Crucify him! Crucify him!" It becomes very moving and very disturbing.
You know, seeing anyone go through this series of events would be horrendous and disturbing. But to think that it is God's own Son, a person without sin, makes it exponentially worse. It is beyond comprehension. Personally, my self-preservation instinct is so strong that on my own, I cannot allow myself to really, totally allow myself to feel how painful it really is. And yet I know that is what we are called to do, in order to truly be ready to share in the joy of the resurrection. So here we are. One week to ponder the imponderable. May God's Spirit help us.
Father in heaven, we thank you for the unspeakable sacrifice that you made for us. Thank you for suffering beyond all our human suffering that we might be spared. Thank you for loving us that much. Help us to open our hearts to understand and share that suffering, so that we can truly share in your resurrection. Strengthen our resolve to walk with you in the bad times as well as the good. Pour out your Spirit and empower us to love you beyond our human capacity. Amen
