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Homily for Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday

READ: (Isa 50: 4-7; Phil 2: 6-11; Matt 26: 14-27: 66 (A) Mk 14:1-15-1547 (B) Lk 22:14-23:56 (C))

REFLECT: Have Perseverance, Patience and Passion in life like Jesus...

Dear friends, today we commemorate Palm Sunday along with the Holy Mother church. The Palm Sunday reminds us the purpose of Jesus as he sets his face towards Jerusalem and his face will not be turned away from the focus. The picturization of the palm Sunday event brings before us three important imageries; People waving Palms – symbolizing a warm welcome and a sign of victory to king, People singing Hosanna- symbolizing a call to Jesus the king to save them from every pain and sorrow, Jesus sitting on a Donkey- symbolizing Jesus as a prince of peace and king of the universes. So Jesus enters Jerusalem gloriously and magnificently.

Palm Sunday is also called as Passion Sunday. It is because of the passion of Jesus. The passion narrative of Jesus covers the entire account of Jesus’ arrest, trial, passion, crucifixion and death. Every liturgical year we have passion reading from different Gospel. During the Liturgical Year A, we have passion reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Year B, we have passion reading from the Gospel of Mark and the Year C, we have Passion reading from the Gospel of Luke. Although, the gospels have been written at different point of time, yet, the passion reading from all the gospels focus on the passion, suffering, crucifixion and death of Jesus, our Saviour.  The readings of the day invite us to focus on the important elements that’s required for all of us to move towards the purpose for which God has created us in perseverance, patience and with a passionate commitment. So based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflections.

1.     Perseverance:

Pope Francis says, perseverance  is the ability to support, to remain faithful, even when the weight seems to become too big, unsustainable, and are tempted negatively to judge and abandon everything and everyone.” We all know that perseverance is act of persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay, failure or opposition in achieving success. We show our continued effort to do anything that we focus or like or interested without giving up. Perseverance is severe but it is worth it. Because, it adds joy and beauty to the purpose we want to achieve in life. That’s what we hear from the First reading from prophet Isaiah: “I have given my body to the strikers, and my cheeks to them that plucked them: I have not turned away my face from them that rebuked me, and spit upon me. The Lord God is my helper, therefore I am not confounded.”

The reading from prophet Isaiah is a reminder for all of us in our journey of life. We all of us walk towards height of success and move towards the way of life as it flows or at time we force it to move. There may be different sort of obstacles that may entangle us but overcoming them with perseverance will assist us in reaching the goal of life. Today, most of us do not persevere because we feel it’s hard and difficult, we feel it as something forced upon and feel bored up with the things that happened in the past or the situation by which we are caught up with and unable to come out.

Our experience teaches us that perseverance is severe but even in that severity, there is a surety of hope and joy, provided we persevere in ways that are just and true. Prophet Isaiah knew for sure that as a spokesperson for God, he may have to undergo crisis and sufferings in life, but he believes and trusts in the Lord. That’s why prophet Isaiah says, “I have given my back to those who strike, my cheeks to those who pull and I have not hidden my face from disgrace and spitting, because the Lord God helps me.” Yes, such was the trust and confidence of Prophet Isaiah in God. If we could persevere in our efforts in the midst of sufferings and pains and do just what God wants or pleases God, God would give us the strength to bear the pains of life and make us journey towards God happily.  So let us persevere in our efforts to journey towards God like prophet Isaiah.

2.     Patience:

Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate problems or suffering without becoming angry or anxious. By virtue of patience we obtain the ability to endure serenely and deal with the problems without frustration. But be for sure patience always paves better ways for a happy living. One of the hallmarks of Jesus in life is he knew exactly where he should be patient and be prudent in dealing with the situations of life. The patience and the prudence that Jesus had in life is the grace of God and work of the spirit of God.

Pope Francis in his address to the consecrated men and women says, “Patience is not a sign of weakness rather it is the strength of the spirit.” I feel that’s what The Second Reading: from St. Paul’s letter to Philippians we hear, “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, lived like one of us in human appearance; he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So God exalted him high above all to worship and glorify and to serve him.” Yes, Jesus was patient in all transition of life, from the level of a God to a human being, from all that he had to all that he did not want to have. It is all for a purpose of bringing God’s reign and give glory to God. We see Jesus’ complete patience in the process of establishing God’s reign over the world.

Today one of the most important things that we lack in life is patience. We become impatient when our ego is hurt; we become impatient when others do better than us; we become impatient when things go wrong; we become impatient when we lose in a competition or job, a contact or contract. But Jesus shows us an example to be patient when we have everything and when we can do nothing. Mostly, our impatience is the only cause of our downfall and sickness in life. But Jesus proves to us that patience pays the prize in a greater measure reaching the spot where his heavenly Father wanted Jesus to be. Today we pray that we have patience to walk towards God in the midst of pains and sufferings of life. Let not impatience make us patients for want of medicines and a cure or make us lose the peace of mind and serenity of heart by petty issues and uncertain or unexpected situations of life.

3. Passion:

Today we have the passion reading for Palm Sunday. The passion reading begins with the Passover meal, betrayal, denial, passion and ends with death of Jesus. Even in this hour of passion, knowing the fact what its beginning and end would be, yet, Jesus walks passionately. As someone said beautifully, “A passionate person has very strong feelings or belief in something.   He or she will be very passionate about the project or a purpose that they want to accomplish.”  I am sure indeed; Jesus was very passionate about his journey towards Jerusalem. In this journey so hard and painful; Jesus walks with passion; in his eyes the fire of his passion; in his body the power of his passion; in his heart the love for his passion; in his mind the loyalty to his passion.

Such was the passion to the commitment of Jesus we see as he walks towards mount Calvary, the place of death. Whatever might have been the hour of Jesus’ passion, the intensity of his passion does not decrease the burning passion from his heart to move towards Jerusalem. Jesus is full of passion to reach the spot and achieve the target that God the Father wished. Jesus was full of passion for humanity in brining the grace of God for salvation of all. Most of the times, we lose sight of the focus for passions we have, the moment we fall or fail, at times we even give up and end our passions instead making them a reality come true in life.

Today we need to have and pray for the passion of Jesus in the hour of our passion, pains, sorrow, sin and sickness to accomplish the purpose we are born and created for. Because, passion or enthusiasm gives us a reason to live, moves our being on earth. Today when we examine about our passion it is all just based on fashions or fun, at times it is selfish; it is pointless and meaningless. What moves us to the height of success is the right and genuine passion that burns in us intensely for God. Such passionate desires will activate our growth and move towards God.

So on the Palm Sunday, Jesus teaches us to walk perseveringly, patiently and passionately towards the goal of human life and Christian life with all that we are and that we have. Jesus knew where he was moving and what would happen to him, yet without worries and tensions, relying on God’s blessings moves on and shows us the way to reach God.  We are also aware of our beginning and end that is God. So today let us pray that we persevere in our efforts to walk towards Jesus; today we pray that we walk towards Jesus patiently even though at times the path we walk are hard and rough; today let us pray that we walk towards Jesus passionately ignoring the insults of life, igniting our passion for God and compassion for Humanity in love and joy. Let us remember that our focus and purpose is our move towards God and not the world. The right move towards a righteous God makes us right and righteous. So let us move towards God, the focal and final point of our lives.  

RESPOND:

Do we persevere in our efforts to do and to be good?

Do we practice patience in times of impatience, without giving in to anger, loss of peace in life?

Do we have right passions to move towards God our Goal and focal point?

Let us persevere, be patient and passionate about our move towards God, the final and focal point of life.  Amen.

God bless us all…Live Jesus

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968