Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 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 19:28-40,162]"Why are you doing this?" [Mark]
PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD
This question appears in the passage from the Gospel of Mark which is read at the beginning of the Palm Sunday procession. Jesus tells the disciples to go and borrow a donkey for him to ride into Jerusalem. He tells them how to reply to the question, "Why are you doing this?" with the words, "The Master has need of it and will send it back at once." What happens after this is what today and the rest of this sacred week are all about. But the question remains, "Why are you doing this?"
We can ask that question of ourselves, of Jesus, or of anyone in the gospel account for that matter. Perhaps the answer from Jesus might be found in the passage from Philippians in the second scripture for Mass today. "He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross..." Jesus remained faithful to his mission. If we tried to interview anyone in the crowd, we would get a mix of answers. There would be different answers from the woman with the jar of ointment, the people yelling, "Hosanna!" and the people yelling "Crucify him!" What would Peter say if we asked him that question immediately after he denied knowing Jesus?
We still have to ask ourselves the same question. Why are we doing this? Ultimately it comes down to remembering what has been done for us. How can we NOT remember it and commemorate it in Holy Week each year? As it is, we commemorate it each time we celebrate the Eucharist, but that can become a matter of habit, like getting up and "going to communion." Maybe our answer has to be, "LEST WE FORGET!"
I pray we can all enter into the Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday celebrations, and not let this week go by like any other week. Why are we doing this? Lest we forget. AMEN
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