Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 20, 2016 - Palm Sunday: At the Mass - ABC
[Isa 50:4-7; Phil 2:6-11; C: Luke 22:14 - 23:56 or 23:1-49,248]"I am among you as the one who serves." [Luke]
Palm Sunday, like Ash Wednesday, is one of those days when physical objects become important as reminders. Traditionally, the ashes for Ash Wednesday are made from left-over palms from Palm Sunday! We will receive a piece of palm during the liturgy and many of us will take it home, shape it in some fashion and display it with a crucifix. Others will shape it into a cross and wear it all day. The blessed palm represents the beginning of the Holy Week drama. The title of the day is Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. That should alert us that the procession into Jerusalem is only the beginning and it amounts to a determined effort on the part of Jesus to meet his fate. Since this liturgical year features the Gospel of Luke, the Passion is from that gospel. Jesus' life and ministry in Luke are presented like a journey to Jerusalem and today begins the last chapter.
The words I quoted above seem to me to sum up the meaning of Holy Week. I recommend reading closely all the scriptures for the week, but for today, if we look at Isaiah, Paul and Luke, everything points to Jesus as the one who gives his life in humble service. The quotation is taken from the Last Supper scene, but Isaiah and Paul both speak to a person whose self-giving is complete.
When Mel Gibson's movie, THE PASSION, came out I was able to see it in company with two good friends. I remember coming out of the theater thinking of Jesus: "He did that for me." When we receive our piece of blessed palm and look up above the altar or at the crucifix on our wall, we can all remember, "He did that for us." It seems to me that the least we can do is accompany Jesus during this week and remember, "He did that for us." AMEN
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