Homily for the Week of April 5, 2009

Palm Sunday Mass 2009
Is 50:4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2:6-11; Mark 15:1-39

Some years ago I was giving a Holy Week day of recollection to a group of college students. During this time each of them had a chance to express an event in their lives that meant a lot to them. One of them recounted an event that happened when he was a young boy. As a young boy he was always late for dinner. His mother and father tried to have him get there on time,but it did not seem to matter. Finally, his frustrated father mentioned to him that if he was to be late one more time he would have only a slice of bread and a glass of water for supper. But in a few days he was late again, and even later than he'd been before. Neither of his parents said anything but that evening, when they got around the table for supper he found at his place only a slice of bread and a glass of water. He realized that he had been warned, but this evening he was really hungry. After a few silent moments, and after the full impact of such a small meal sunk in, his father took the his son's plate and placed it in front of himself. Then he placed his own warm, delicious meal in front of his son.

At that time he realized that his father was taking the punishment that he, the boy, had brought upon himself by his disobedience. And now that the boy was an older person he recalled that evening meal of many years ago, and he said to the group: All my life I have known what God is like because of what my father did for me that night.

Today we begin the most sacred week of the Christian year. We begin a week in which we will center our prayers and actions on how Jesus took the punishment for our sins upon himself. We begin a week which can be filled with spirituality, spiritual renewal, and thanksgiving for the gift of life which Jesus has given us. It is the greatest week because it celebrates the GOOD NEWS--Jesus has reconciled us. Jesus has exchange himself for us.

Holy Week, however, will be holy only if we find time to pray. Jesus invited the apostles to stay with him at Gethsemane and to pray with him less they enter into temptation. He extends that invitation to each of us today.

If we look carefully at the Bible readings for today we find that every person possesses something that needs to be given away.

The woman who anointed Jesus possesses an alabaster jar of perfume made from expensive aromatic nard.

Judas Iscariot held a purse of money.

A nameless man carried a water jar.

Peter held on to his assertion that he would never deny Jesus. A few minutes later he traded his assertion for some denials; he owned the fact that he had never known Jesus.

A young man owned a loin cloth.

The high priest possessed the verdict of guilty for blasphemy.

Before Pilate the crowd wanted Barabbas.

Pilate owned the power over life and death.

Simon of Cyrene helped to carry the cross, thus possessing its weight.

Joseph of Arimathea requested the dead body of Jesus, and took it down from the cross and buried it.

The crowd held the reeds and palms.

Everyone owns something, everyone possesses something, Jesus alone owns nothing because he is stripped naked.

This Holy Week Jesus is asking us to come to him without anything. He wants us to stand before him with empty hands because he wants to fill them with his love and goodness. When we are stripped of all, when all false saviors are gone, then we are ready to approach Jesus with nothing.

This week let us look at some of the areas that need to be emptied. I realize that this can be tough. We all want to hold on to something. We are all addicts in one way or another. The hardest work of love is not to hold anything back. Let us try our best during the days and events of this Holy Week to turn everything over to Jesus who died for us. If we do, we will truly feel and understand the joy of Easter, because, with Jesus, we too will have risen from our past.