Homily for the Week of April 1, 2012

Palm Sunday Mass 2012
Is 50:4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2:6-11; Mark 15:1-39


Today we begin the most sacred week of the Christian year. 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. This week, our holy week, we have the opportunity to walk with Jesus from the glorious procession to Jerusalem when people were waving palm branches to a few days later when he is nailed to a cross as a criminal. But we Christians call that day Good Friday!


The story in which you and I just participated is filled with contradictions. Judas sells out Jesus; the chief priests who have a fake trial; some of Jesus' followers who fall asleep; Peter denies him; Pilate condemns Jesus although he knew he was innocent; and soldiers and the crowd who shout at Jesus.


Holy Week will be holy 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.


The story of the last days in the life of Jesus is an account of Jesus Christ’s suffering that lead to his death. The account we just participated in is very blunt and specific. It is a tragedy. But as we look at our life most every one here has had to struggle to find a meaning and understand It is amazing how many people want to blame suffering on God. When problems of any kind come to us does it make sense to think that suffering is God's desire for us? A lot of people do. For some it helps to cope with tragedy, while others turn their back on God and claim he is cruel and unfair. If we stop to think about life, so many problems we deal with we create for ourselves. At times it is a matter of bad luck, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We can't always put our finger on why bad things happen, especially to good people. God came in the person of Jesus to save us from evil.


What is important for us to believe is that when suffering and bad things happen to us that are beyond our control, God can turn them into something good. If God could take the suffering and death of Jesus and make it the source of our salvation, then God has the power to turn anything around and make it good.


To understand suffering, however, most of the time we must give away some of the things we cling to. 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.
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.
The crowd wanted Barabbas.
Pilate had the power over the life or death of Jesus. .


Everyone owns something, everyone possesses something except Jesus, who has nothing because he is stripped naked.


HE EMPTIED HIMSELF AND TOOK THE FORM OF A SLAVE. HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, OBEDIENTLY ACCEPTING DEATH, DEATH ON A CROSS. This Holy Week Jesus is asking us to come to him without anything. He wants us to stand before him with empty hands and then he can be our Savior. When we are stripped of all, when all false saviors are gone, then we are ready to approach Jesus with nothing.


Seeing Jesus in true darkness makes the cross real. But it also guides us in our own times of darkness, of loss and of suffering. At one time or other most individuals have felt lost when we have been abandoned by friends and fellow workers. We may have even felt abandoned by God. And when we feel this way, let us remember that Jesus also felt lost not only in his home village of Nazareth but in Jerusalem. This week we have the opportunity to walk with Jesus during the last three days of his life.


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.