PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

29 MARCH 2026

 

            In the beginning of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, people receive messages from God through dreams.  In a dream, Joseph is told that Mary, his betrothed, has conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Joseph responds by taking Mary as his wife and taking care of her and her child in Bethlehem.  The Magi are warned in a dream not to return to Herod.  They expose his lies by returning to their country by a different route.  Joseph is told in a dream that Herod wants to kill his child.  He responds by taking the child and his mother into exile in Egypt.  Finally, Joseph is told in a dream that it is safe to return to Galilee.  He obeys so that he and Mary can raise Jesus in the safety of Nazareth.           

            Today, the wife of Pontius Pilate is told in a dream that his prisoner from Nazareth is a righteous man.  She sends a message to her husband to have nothing to do with him.  But, Pilate ignores the message and condemns Jesus to death.  He pretends to have no guilt by washing his hands.  He goes against the truth, because he is afraid of the crowds and the religious leaders.

            The Lord continues to speak to us in a number of ways:  through the Word of God at Mass, through the words and examples of those who care enough for us that they speak the truth, in our everyday lives, and sometimes through dreams.  Today, the Lord invites us to listen to the central mystery of our faith by participating in the Sacred Paschal Triduum.  Lent ends on Thursday night when we begin the Triduum by celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 6:00.  Be with us as we observe the Passion of the Lord on Friday at 1:00.  Join us for the most incredible Liturgy of the Year as we begin the Easter Vigil on Saturday night at 9:00.  Be with us on Easter Sunday for the Mass of the Resurrection at 10:00.

            Participating in these Liturgies is a powerful way of allowing the Lord to speak to us and deepen our understanding of the Paschal Mystery, the central mystery of our faith.  When we come to the Sacred Paschal Triduum, we will better understand that hatred is replaced by love, that betrayal is forgiven by mercy, that cowardice gives way to courage, and that the risen life of Jesus Christ defeats the power of death.  Unlike Pontius Pilate, we can hear and walk away with a more profound desire to live the dying and rising of Jesus Christ in our lives.

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

22 MARCH 2026

 

          In the Gospel according to Saint John, Jesus works seven miracles, or “signs,” as they are called.  Each sign invites us to enter more deeply into the Mystery of Jesus Christ.  The first sign is at a wedding feast in Cana.  By changing water into wine, Jesus, the faithful bride groom, invites us, his bride the Church, to believe that he has the power to change the ordinary water of our human love into the divine goodness of God’s love.  Last Sunday, Jesus invited us to believe that he can heal our spiritual blindness, as he healed the man born blind.  Today, he reveals the greatest and last of the signs.  Lazarus is dead, with no hope of life after four days in the tomb.  Jesus does not deny the horror of death.  He even accepts the anger of both Martha and Mary, who complain that Lazarus would not have died if Jesus had been more prompt in coming.  Jesus expresses his horror of death when he becomes deeply troubled and weeps himself.

            When Jesus calls Lazarus to come out of the tomb, he invites us to believe that he can defeat the power of death.  His burial bands must be removed, because it is the same Lazarus who emerges from the tomb and will die again.  This final sign is also the reason that Jesus himself will be condemned to death.  But Jesus will emerge from his tomb without any need for his burial bands to be removed.  In being raised from the dead, Jesus is transformed.  He will never die again.  And he invites us to believe that we too can share in his resurrection and be transformed ourselves if we are willing to die with him.

            We hear this message as we begin these final two weeks of Lent.  We’ll accompany Jesus in the garden as he agonizes over his impending death and is betrayed by one of his best friends.  We will watch as he is unfairly condemned by both the Jewish authorities and Pontius Pilate.  We will walk the way of the cross and stand at the foot of the cruel instrument of death.  We will mark his three days in the tomb.  But then we will affirm the ultimate truth of this seventh sign and renew our faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter.

            Faith in the resurrection does not take away the pain and horror of death as we lose our loved ones to death and face it ourselves.  However, Saint Thomas Aquinas argues that there are four ways in which our belief in the resurrection helps us.  First, our faith in the resurrection can remove the sadness occasioned by the deaths of others.  In my years of officiating at funerals, I can see the difference in grieving.  Those who grieve with faith in the resurrection do so in hope.  While those who do not believe in the resurrection grieve in a desperate and hopeless way.  Second, faith in the resurrection removes the fear of death in each one of us.  None of us looks forward to death.  None of us can predict when death will happen.  Ultimately, we can face death without fear by being willing to share in Christ’s dying on a daily basis.  Third, faith in the resurrection makes us more diligent to perform good works.  If I am willing to die to my own selfishness by performing good works, I can more readily be assured of being transformed by Christ’s resurrection when I die.  Finally, faith in the resurrection draws us away from evil.  We know that God respects our human choices, even when we choose to turn away from doing good and embracing evil actions.  God’s justice will always prevail.

            Martha and Mary are thrilled to welcome their brother back from death to take his place in their family.  They are incredibly grateful to Jesus for giving him back to them.  But just as they do not understand his delay in coming back to Judea in their greatest time of need, they will not understand the words of Jesus that he is the resurrection and the life until after he has been raised from the dead himself.  The Lord will be with us in these final two weeks of Lent as we face the reality of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ and celebrate his resurrection.