Mt. 21: 1-11; Is. 50:4-7; Ps. 22:8-9, 18-20, 23-24; Phil. 2:6-11; Mt. 14:27-66
The Lord’s Passion, it has begun. It has begun what the prophet foretold a “king comes…riding on an ass…a beast of burden”. It is the burden to come for the sins of the world. Those who worship cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David” and those filled with hate “crucify him”. His betrayer, one of his own disciples for thirty pieces of silver. Did this have to be simply to fulfill a prophesy? It had to be because of a fallen humanity that no longer served God but served itself under the guise of religion in order to exert power over the people.
Jesus is the suffering servant to this day whose death on the cross is not just a historical event but an active suffering that remains in his soul for our sins and failure to respond to his love and gift of mercy. The world remains in a culture of death that by it’s action cries out “crucify the innocent and release the sinner”. Jesus institutes the Mass, that is the cup that does not pass him by in his body and blood as a perpetual sacrifice for our sins. Why do Catholics continue to leave Jesus on the cross even though the resurrection has also come? It is because both can be true at the same time his perpetual sacrifice for our active sins and his resurrection for those who have been redeemed.
This day of the Lord’s Passion, we prepare to live the Easter Triduum recalling Jesus’ prayer “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” In his humanity it seemed intolerable to endure the cross but in his divinity the spirit came to his aid to bear the unbearable. This is our cry in our suffering that this too will pass us by and we can overcome all trial and tribulation. It also is the willingness to accept the will of God who provides the strength to overcome the cross. The cross is also a gift to bring about sanctification if we unite it to serve a greater purpose as revealed by God. The flesh is weak but the spirit is strong when supported by the grace of God.
The Lord’s Passion reminds us how easy it is to promise but how difficult it can be to fulfill. We see this in Peter and all the disciples who each claimed they would not deny Jesus. When the time came and the “shepherd” was struck the “sheep of the flock” scattered in fear. How easy it is to renew our baptismal promises, as easy as it is to forget them in the moment we are tested when we leave the sanctuary. Jesus knows this would be and so he suffers his passion once again.
We must not lose sight of Jesus words when he says he could call on the Father and, in a moment, he could call the whole Passion off “with twelve legions of angels”, “but then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?” Jesus reminds us of the gift of the will to follow the path of the Word, God’s purpose for our life or separate from him to follow our own design and consequence. Jesus could not deny himself his own mission for the redemption of the world. Are we living our mission as designed by our creator?
Peter walked with Jesus and yet claimed “he did not know the man”. He was right even after three years he did not come to know the man until after the resurrection that his eyes were opened as he witnessed “the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised” from the tombs appearing to many. The resurrection is the proof that reveals and confirms our faith, “Truly, this was (and is) the Son of God!”
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