Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 14, 2019 - Palm Sunday: At the Mass - ABC
[Isa 50:4-7; Phil 2:6-11; A: Matt 26:14 - 27:66 or 27:11-54 B: Mark 14:1 - 15:47 or 15:1-39 C: Luke 22:14 - 23:56 or 23:1-49,248]Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [Philippians]
The voices of Isaiah, Paul and Luke will speak to us this day from the scriptures. They proclaim the opening act of the drama of faith that is Holy Week. This is a sacred time. We can enter into it as a matter of faith even as the rest of the world may seem to go on as if nothing special is happening. Each year we tell the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and read the story of his suffering and death. This year the gospel scripture for both the procession of palms and the Mass come from the Gospel According to Luke. But St. Paul sums up the whole picture in the words from his Letter to the Philippians, which I have quoted above.
We can participate at various levels in the power of this next week. It may be that we can only make it to Mass on Easter Day. Perhaps we can make one or more of the services of the Sacred Triduum (Thurs, Fri, Sat). If we cannot do the latter, perhaps we can at least read the ceremony or the scriptures for those services and join ourselves to our community of faith around the world.
The story that is unfolding before us is not simply history. It is the story of our own salvation. Today we receive a piece of blessed palm and join the crowd that welcomed Jesus. We can be among the eager listeners who hear him preach in Jerusalem. We can be at the Last Supper when he gives us his very self as food. We can follow him on the stations of the cross. We can stand at the foot of the cross in sorrow or at the mouth of the empty tomb in wonder.
The piece of blessed palm we receive can remind us each day of this next week of the importance of this time, and in the rest of the year of the story of our salvation. Shout "Hosanna!" and join the crowd! AMEN "You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish." He did not say this on his own but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. [John]