Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (A)

Mt 21:1-11 (proc.) Is 50:4-7.  Ps 22.  Phil 2:6-11.  Mt 27:11-54

Deacon Jim McFadden

       Every year is a moving experience on Palm Sunday as we go with Jesus towards the Temple, accompanying him on the ascent which leads to the Cross.  As Jesus enters Jerusalem, people then and now throughout the centuries acclaim him, crying out: “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mt 21:9). A beautiful rendering of this scene can be found in the first segment of season 5 of The Chosen.  It’s worth checking out.

         What are we doing when we join the procession?  Is there something going on here that is more than a familiar ritual, a quaint custom that the Church does every year?  Does it have anything to do with the reality of our life in the 21^st century, plagued by such formidable concerns as terrible wars in  Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, all of which Pope Francis called cumulatively a 3^rd World War in piecemeal?  Does Palm Sunday speak to our world in 2026?

         To answer this, we have to go back to the first Palm Sunday: what was Jesus’ intention and what actually happened?  St. Paul sets the stage in our 2^nd reading when he says that Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” (Phil 2:7), which frames Holy Week.  In short, Jesus presents himself as servant: on Holy Thursday, he washes the feet of his disciples;  at the Last Supper, he institutes the Eucharist in which he gives himself completely to us in the form of consecrated bread and wine; on Good Friday he is presented as the suffering and victorious servant (cf. Is 52:13).   Tomorrow, we will hear the prophecy of Isaiah about him: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold” (Is 41:1).  What all of this says is that God saved us by serving us.  We tend to think it should be the other way around;  but, no, he is the one who freely chose to serve us, for he loved us first.

         This love is going to come at a great cost.  It is really hard to love and not to be loved in return, which is exactly what happened to Jesus on the Cross.  Moreover, it is really difficult to follow the footsteps of the suffering servant if we don’t allow ourselves to be served by God.

         Just exactly how did the Lord serve us?  By giving his life for us.  We are so dear to him, that we cost him his life.  Brothers and sisters, make no mistake: Jesus’ love for you is no joke.  His love for you led him to absorb all the sins of the world, to die to sin—for what?  So that you could have eternal life. And, the Lord did all of this to the point of experiencing the most painful situations for those he loved: betrayal and abandonment.

         Betrayal.  Jesus suffered betrayal by his inner circle of disciples, by the crowds who called for his crucifixion, and the religious establishment along with their accomplices, the Roman occupiers. 

Abandonment.  Compounding the sense of betrayal, Jesus even had to deal with the experience of abandonment.  Jesus says from the Cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (27:46).  These are powerful, inscrutable words.  How could the Son of God feel abandoned by his very own Father?   Jesus is embracing our human experience to the very depths, which includes that feeling of being alone, of being cut loose.   Jesus is bringing to the fore what we all experience at one time in our lives: that feeling of desolation, where nothing seems to be right.

         Why did all this take place?  Once again, everything Jesus ever did was for our sake, to serve us.  So, when our backs are against the wall, when we find ourselves at a dead end when we’ve lost so much, when there doesn’t seem to be an off-ramp to the turmoil in our lives, when it seems that God himself is not responding, we should remember that we’re not alone.  Jesus knows what we’re experiencing because he has been there himself.   And,  Jesus is saying to us today, “Do not be afraid, you are not alone.  We can get through this together.  Don’t let go.  Keep courage; open your heart to my love because I will never stop loving you.” Eventually, you will experience the consolation of God who sustains you.  Jesus did that when he handed over his Spirit when he took his  last dying breath.  You can do the same because you are in Christ Jesus  and as our Father reminded us in the parable of the Prodigal Son: “Everything I have is yours.”

         Brothers and sisters, as members of the mystical Body of Christ, what can we do to imitate Jesus?  To begin with, we can refuse to betray him for whom we are meant to be in love now and forever.  We cannot abandon what really matters in our lives.  The goods of the world should not be our Ultimate Concern because they all pass away.  We were put on this earth “to love God with our whole heart and soul and to love our neighbor as ourself” (The Great Commandment).  Palm Sunday reminds us to take seriously what really matters and not to get caught up in those things that matter less.  As we move into Holy Week, we must remind ourselves that our life is not about me, but is about God, whose image we are made.  So, we live how God operates: namely, we embrace a life of self-giving generosity.  To the point, our life is of no use if not used to serve others. 

         So, during these holy days, let us stand before the Crucified One—which is the fullest measure of how much God loves us.  Let us stand before the God who serves us to the point of giving his life, and fixing our gaze on the Crucified Jesus, let us ask for the grace to live in order to serve.  Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. At the Last Supper Jesus presents himself as servant.  As a  member of his mystical Body, the Church, do you view yourself the same way?
2. Jesus suffered betrayal by his inner circle of disciples, one of whom sold him out for 30 pieces of silver.  Have you ever been betrayed?  How did you handle it?
3.  Jesus was abandoned during his time of trial.  Have you ever experienced abandonment? What got you through it?