Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Just a few words because the reading of the Lord's Passion is eloquent in itself…

One of the most terrible phrases on the whole Passion comes from the mouths of all those who are present when the Lord is condemned: His blood be upon us and upon our children. The people involved in Jesus' death are also all of us. We are more than mere spectators at Jesus' crucifixion for we are also guilty. We must never forget that each one of us has a hand in Jesus' death when we hurt others through gossip and slander or when we look for our own selfish purposes. Jesus is crucified every time a human being is degraded or treated unjustly. This final week of Lent is a great opportunity to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus in a way that will change our lives. During the celebration of the Palm Sunday this morning in St. Peter`s square, in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI in his homily said: «The cross is lifted up as a sign of Jesus taking the sins of humanity upon himself in order to soften our hearts. The fact that Jesus thought that we are worth all that pain and suffering should reduce us to silence. We must never forget that Jesus died on the cross so that we might have new life. We should try in our own simple way to imitate him». So, today the palms remind us of three truths. First, they remind us of human changeability, how quickly today's hero can become tomorrow's a bad person. If we live our lives dependent on human popularity, we are building our lives on the wind… Second, the palms place us within the Passion account. The characters of the Passion are not creatures from outer space. They are us! Through our reading of the Passion, we can identify ourselves with Peter's denial, with Judas' betrayal, with the disciples' running away in fear, with Pilate's cowardice… We all have a place in the Passion story. Third, the palms remind us of Jesus' love for us. Despite what all these people did to him, Jesus died for all of them and for us. His love, his truth, his forgiveness, his grace are the foundations on which we can rely. Despite our failures, in Jesus we can have a new and strong life. So, as we begin Holy Week, let us reflect on the Passion and let us pray for the grace of conversion, the grace to turn away from our sins, so that we, too, will triumph over them as Jesus did. You know, the Church celebrates the liturgies of this Holy Week not only to remind us of sin but to assure each one of us of our own resurrection ■