Let's Begin, A Holy Week of Encounter

Palm Sunday
March 31/ April 1, 2007
Homily

Introduction
Five weeks ago, on Ash Wednesday, our foreheads were marked with ash, reminding us that “you are dust and to dust you shall return.” On that day, the Church began the observance of Lenten season – it is a season marked by prayer, fasting, alms-giving and repenting for failures to focus on the need for God’s grace. Most of all, Lent is a season of the year that helps us focus on Christ’s self-sacrifice and prepares us to celebrate his glorious Resurrection on Easter.

Today we come together to begin a solemn celebration of Holy Week in union with millions of Christians throughout the world as we commemorate the Entrance of our Lord into his own city, Jerusalem, to finally complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again.

On Palm Sunday, we remember the spreading of palms and clothing in Jesus’ path as He entered Jerusalem prior to His crucifixion. People welcomed him with praises and shouts of “Hosanna.” But before it was all over, a tidal wave of manipulated opposition welled up that brought Jesus to the cross. So that Palm Sunday is also celebrated as Passion Sunday anticipating the impending death of Jesus on the cross.

A Close encounter
During the last few Sundays of Lent, we have been hearing and reflecting upon the works of Jesus, his miracles, his parables, his temptation at the dessert, his clashes with the scribes and Pharisees. We may be aware or not, but each time we hear or listen to the Word of God being proclaimed, is always a moment of encounter with our Lord. The passion story we’ve just heard is intended not merely to narrate what happened 2,000 years ago but to interpret it as good news in our time and in our present situation.

Although we are familiar with the Passion of Christ, we’ve heard this every year, we may saw the movie, but there is always something there that always touch and grind our hearts – it could the humiliation of Christ, his torture, and his crucifixion. Whatever it may be that touched us most, the story of the Passion of Christ, we always encounter the basic reality of the love of Jesus Christ to all of us, and his total obedience to the Father.

The Holy Week celebration which we begin today is a moment of close encounter with our Lord, to his love to us. The liturgical celebrations we have in the Church during this week somehow express our Lord’s desire to be near us, to be so intimately closed to each one of us and reveal his love. Jesus wants you and I, to always remember how he loves us, love that caused his own death on the cross.

Abandonment
The Palm leaves and olive branches we use today is a symbol of our glorious welcome to Jesus. The Liturgy of palms and the liturgy of the Passion show the duality of our human response to the love of God to us through Jesus Christ through out history. Sometimes we welcome him in and other times we push him away, left him abandoned.

After the people’s glorious welcome, the waving of their palms, and shouts of joy, at end Jesus would find himself alone and abandoned. Jesus’ experience of abandonment even seemed to extend to his Father: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Jesus came triumphantly into Jerusalem, but he knew what faced him. The death would be terrible, and the suffering that would accompany it would be excruciating. Worst of all would be the pain of abandonment. Jesus would die abandoned by everyone. His friends and disciples would run away and leave him alone.
In dying his lonely death on the cross, Jesus brought salvation to all those who are abandoned by others: the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the lonely elderly, those suffering from communicable diseases, the hungry, political prisoners, prostitutes, those who in prison. Jesus died and rose that they might be liberated from their abandonment.

Prayer
Let us pray that as we enter Holy Week, we may allow ourselves to encounter Jesus and not abandon him, but remain in him.

Let us pray that we may receive the grace to die to all of our worldly cares and desires to make space in our hearts for Jesus to enter in.

As we reflect upon the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, let us pray that we may be healed and restored to his new life.


Prayer of welcome

“Christ, you so loved the worldyou did not shield your facefrom the pounding and spitting andyou did not answer from under the blindfoldwhen they jeered and screamed,”Who struck you?”Humbled and emptied you were,and you taught us how to live.Please open our hearts and minds that we may encounter you more closely, know who you are to us.
Amen.