Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 17, 2011 - Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion: At the Procession with Palms - ABC
[ and A: Matt 21:1-11B: Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16 C: Luke 19:28-40]And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, "Who is this?" And the crowds replied, "This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee."
It could be said easily that all of this next week with its wonderful liturgical observances is about the question asked by "the city": "Who is this?" How do we respond? Do we respond with the original crowd: "This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee"? Is there more to be said? To what [or whom] are we testifying when we take up the palm branch today and process into the church [or at least accept a piece from the usher and hold it during the reading of the Passion]? Are we just caught up in the crowd as we enter the city [church]? Or do we know enough about the life of Jesus to truthfully proclaim that he is "the prophet." Are we "newcomers" to the gospel or have we been following Jesus' life and ministry carefully and faithfully from his baptism by John the Baptist up to this fateful Passover in Jerusalem? Perhaps taking up that branch of palm means not only asking "Who is this?" about Jesus, but also "Who am I?"
This weekend I begin a parish mission at a small Catholic university in the Dallas area. As I share the Word of God with students, faculty, staff and other parishioners and visitors, I know that everyone there may have a different response to the question from "the city." The majority of them will be, like me, a baptized member of the Catholic church. I am hoping to help them realize that their very baptism, which identifies them with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, commissions them to proclaim that death and resurrection to "the city." If we are in "the crowd," perhaps we are anywhere from being a close disciple to being "along for the ride with a cool prophet!" At least we may know more than "the city" does, even if not a lot more. If we are going to proclaim the identity of Jesus, we need to be clear about who he is. The "written charge" above his head on the cross says, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." That will be Pilate's sarcastic jibe at those who have managed to get him crucified.
On the simple level of story, we have a knowledge of what Holy Week is about. The challenge is not simply to hear a familiar story but to ask the deep questions raised by that story. Holding that branch of a palm in our palm is more than a symbolic act. It is a challenge to answer the city's question: "Who is this?" [And who am I?} At the end of the week, after all the dramatic and sorrowful events, we may have a joyful response to the city's question: "Who is this?" He is not simply "the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." He is not "King of the Jews." He is LORD! AMEN
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