PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION
9 APRIL 2017
We
have been hearing from the Gospel of Saint Matthew for many Sundays. Repeatedly, Jesus has spoken words of
forgiveness for sinners, and he has been accused of associating with
sinners. Today, Jesus himself ventures into
the terrifying land of sin and death.
Sin is on display at every turn in
the Passion of Saint Matthew. Judas has
decided to sell his soul and betray his mentor and teacher and friend for
thirty pieces of silver. After the meal,
Jesus asks three of his closest disciples to watch and pray with him. He enters a garden to beg his Father to find
some other way to save the human race rather than dying a humiliating and
painful death. In his agonizing prayer,
he does what Adam and Eve had refused to do in another garden. He trusts his Father’s plan. As he does that, his closest disciples fall
asleep. They commit the sin of sloth, or
spiritual laziness.
Those who come to arrest Jesus do
so in a violent way. One of his
disciples responds with violence, cutting off the ear of the high priest. When we turn to violence to solve problems,
we cannot hear any other perspective.
Despite their vows that they would stay with Jesus, most run away out of
cowardice. During his trial before the
Sanhedrin, the witnesses are willing to tell lies to get their own way. Meanwhile Peter denies knowing Jesus when he
is encircled by a crowd of people from a different part of the country. Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent. But he gives in to the demands of the hostile
crowd to protect his own interests. The
soldiers treat Jesus brutally and humiliate him by stripping him of his
clothing. Those passing by mock the Lamb
of God who is dying for their sakes.
Lent ends on Thursday evening when
we enter into the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and begin the celebration of the
Sacred Paschal Triduum. In those three
days, we will walk with Jesus Christ as he confronts sin and death. In doing so, we can face our own sins and the
prospect of our own death. In becoming
painfully aware of the terrible effects of our sins, we have a choice. Both Judas and Peter bitterly regretted what
they had done. We can choose to be like
Judas and despair of being freed from our sins.
Or, we can be like Peter and trust in the incredible mercy of Jesus
Christ. In squarely facing sin and
death, Jesus is victorious. In walking
with him during the Triduum and facing our own sins, we can share in his
victory.
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