Today is one
of the most prominent days in the Christian calendar. I think we remember it because it is one of
those days when, from our youngest days, we got something at church: a palm to display somewhere in our
homes. I’ll never forget the day when my
older brother Bob taught me how to make a simple cross out of the palms that
were distributed in our church. I have
in turn taught Bob’s technique to my children and grandchildren. I visited a church in Bakersfield, California a
few years ago that had meticulously ornate palm sculptures that one could buy
for a modest amount (they were made by the poor, for the poor of the parish). The parish we attend now has entire fronds at
the end of each pew that parishioners wave during the procession at the
beginning of the mass on Passion Sunday.
Whether it’s a simple cross or an extravagant showpiece or just a small leaf,
that palm is one way to enter prayerfully into this profound day's celebration.
People laid
palms before Jesus as He entered into Jerusalem. The palm was their way to acclaim a man who
roused their hopes. We in our culture don’t
have people riding into town on donkeys but we have plenty of experiences that
touch on that palm celebration back then.
A presidential candidate celebrates with his cheering followers on the
night of his or her nomination or election; a basketball team returns
triumphant from the Final Four to a wild homecoming among the school's students
and backers; an actor receives a standing ovation for a starring role in an Oscar-winning
film. "Yes!" we shout and
raise our arms: that’s today's version
of a palm.
Jesus knew
all too well not only that He deserved a triumphal celebration but also that
the victory would be won at a frightening price. In a dramatic flash of realism so different
from the first Palm Sunday, the church today turns immediately from celebration
of a victory to contemplating the price of that victory. So the Catholic Church calls this day both
Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, and its worship is a surprising and wonderful
fusion of the glory and the pain.
The
challenge for me as I enter Holy Week is not to forget either of those two
elements, the glory or the pain. The
ugly events we’re about to recall and celebrate are not only a terrible
miscarriage of human justice. They’re
also the triumph of a God who gave and gives God's very self into our
hands. As Jesus approached these
frightening events, His biggest concern was that His followers perceive their
meaning. He wanted them to see that His
suffering was not the killing of all that had given them hope. It was rather His courageous entry into and
victory over all that could take away their hope.
We will
labor with Jesus this week--recalling His suffering and living ours. We’ll also recall the moments He instituted
the Sacraments of Holy Orders, Penance,
and most importantly, the Eucharist. Let's
look each day to our palm to say both "Yes" and "Thank
you!"
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