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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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Palm Sunday
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Passion: Palm Sunday - Cycle B - Mark 14:1-15:47
A bishop reports that logos for McDonald's, Shell
Oil, and the Olympics are better recognized throughout the world than
the cross. The Olympic symbol of five linked rings was recognized by
92% of people asked. McDonald's and Shell Oil logos were recognized by
88%. But the cross was recognized by only 54%. The conclusion is that
the Olympics, McDonald's, and Shell Oil are better missionaries than we.
The seventeenth century Dutch genius Rembrandt
painted a crucifixion. His Christ is bathed in his signature
white colors. At the foot of His cross are the usual suspects. However,
off in a corner of the masterpiece is the face of an interloper. It is
Rembrandt. He was reminding himself that he too because of his sins was
responsible for the painful death of his Saviour.
Scripture scholars insist that the details of Holy
Week were the first to be written down by the Gospel writers. Early
Christians were insistent that every detail of their Lord's passion and
death should be preserved for us. This is the reason that today's
Gospel is long and detailed.
From the Gospels, we know only about the activities
of 100 days from the 12,045 days of the life of Jesus. Yet, we know
almost everything He did every hour of His last seven days.
He spent the night preceding Palm Sunday at Bethany,
an affluent bedroom community outside Jerusalem. He rose early. One
hopes He had the farmer's breakfast. He would need it. The last chapter
of His earthly life was to be a showstopper. It would end not with a
whimper but with a bang. He had the unenviable task of taking his many
enemies on alone.
Every detail of the Palm Sunday procession had been
worked out by Him weeks before. It was not just a question of
kidnapping a donkey and hopping on for the ride. The Master had long
ago contacted the donkey's owners and arranged for the animal. The
owners were disciples unknown even to the apostles. Even a password had
been worked out between the Christ and the secret disciples: "The
Master has need of it." When the owners were told the password by the
unsuspecting apostles, they released the ass. There
is a nice touch here. Jesus promised the owners the ass would be
returned to them after the parade. He knew they would need it for
work next day. So, even as His murder nears, He was thinking not of
Himself but of others.
The parade begins. This would be the only
demonstration where Jesus would positively encourage people to salute
Him as King. All other times He would not hear of it. He would flee
into the mountains alone at the sight of the first monarchists. The
hapless apostles would be left behind to placate the royalists.
This entrance into Jerusalem was an act of superb
bravado. He was coming onto center stage. This was high noon.
There was a price on His head. He was an outlaw wanted dead or alive. A
posse was out looking for Him. Every young gunslinger in the city was
hoping to make a name for himself by bringing Him down. They would be
searching for Him. But He was not about to go into that dark,
dark night quietly.
Why has the cross remained so popular for us down
through the centuries? Teachers report that they show children pictures
from different stages of Christ's life. They invite them to pick their
favorite. The pupils pass over scenes of the nativity or the Teacher
surrounded by children their own age. Invariably they choose the card
depicting the crucifixion.
Even people who are A & P Catholics (Ash
Wednesday and Palm Sunday) have a cross hanging from their necks. I
recently watched an old time gangster film. The two chief crooks were
wearing large gold crosses. Surely the cross was reminding them that
despite all their faults Jesus loved them enough to die for them. Is it
not telling them that Christ does not make garbage? Does it not send us
the same message?
We should borrow a brush from Rembrandt. Then
dipping it into his lush palette, we should paint our faces into the
passion picture. We had much more to do with it than we care to admit.
The cross, the savant tells us, reveals people's
hatred for God and God's love for people. Also he says that believing
Christ died is history and believing He died for me is salvation.
Finally it reminds us, the savant says, that while many people may be
worthy of admiration, only Jesus is worthy of adoration.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
Palm Sunday
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The Passion in the Gospel of Mark: The Death of the Noble One.
The
woman in Simon’s house recognized what was happening. A King had
come to dinner. He was anointed with costly perfume in
respect. Some said it was a waste of money. The Noble One
said it was a preparation for his burial.
Judas Iscariot, the traitor, the thief, dishonorable and dishonest,
would not pay the price following the Noble One would demand.
Instead he gladly took a payment to betray Him. The Noble One allowed
the ignoble to profit from Him.
Peter, the well intentioned braggart, declared his devotion to the
Noble One and pledged his protection. He didn’t last twelve
hours. But the Noble One saw his fear and his contrition, and
forgave him and strengthened him to embrace a cross.
The
Chief Priests, elders and scribes could not find a liar creditable
enough to condemn the Noble One. So they asked Him for the truth,
and could not bear it.
The
Roman Procurator was not about to let justice inconvenience him.
So he gave a criminal back to the crowd and condemned the Noble One to
death.
And
the Noble One mounted his throne on the hill of Golgotha. Where
some saw shame, where others gave scorn, a centurion saw the Son of
God.
It
began with a woman who recognized the Noble King. It ended with a
pagan who bowed before the Noble Son of God.
Let us
pray:
O Noble Jesus, reigning from your cross, give us your people the
courage to accept your death as the eternal gift of the Father.
Protect us from all that is ignoble in our own lives. Help us fight off
our selfishness, our materialism, our cowardice, and our lust for
power. We begin this week of intense prayer, we begin this Holy Week,
asking you to raise our lives from the mud and muck of this world to
the Nobility of truly being the Sons and Daughters of God. |
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
Palm Sunday
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God's
Justice
(April 5, 2009)
Bottom line: God's justice has a name - the Divine Mercy.
We have just listened to St. Mark's account of the Passion. As I was
reflecting on it - especially on the part played by St. Peter - an
anecdote from the Civil War came to my mind. Although it is humorous,
it has a serious point.
The anecdote tells about a soldier brought before General Robert E.
Lee. Accused of misconduct, the soldier was trembling. The general said
to him, "Do not be afraid, son. Here you will receive justice." The
soldier looked at the general and said, "Sir, that is what I am afraid
of."
Like that soldier, Peter would have reason to tremble. He had boasted
about his bravery, how he would always stand by Jesus. Yet when Jesus
needed him most, he nodded off. Perhaps one could forgive him for
falling asleep, but later - when he was wide awake - he denied Jesus.
"I do not know the man." Some rock!
In strict justice, Peter should have been punished or at the very
least, removed as head of the Church. In Christ's passion, however, a
deeper justice is at work. That is what we will discover this Holy
Week. God's justice has a name - it is called the Divine Mercy. I
invite you to return on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter
Vigil. These are the great days of grace - of Divine Mercy.
Like Peter, you and I have made confident declarations and then fell
down on the job. We made promises, buy did not deliver. Maybe we even
acted like we did not know Jesus. Because of all this we feel a certain
fear: a fear of God, a fear of his justice. We might even feel like
giving up. Or just to wallow in self-pity.
Here is the challenge of Holy Week: to stop looking at ourselves - and
start looking at Jesus. This week we fix our attention on Christ
crucified. There we see a more profound justice at work. It has a name:
the Divine Mercy.
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Intercessions for Palm Sunday (from Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
Palm Sunday
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
Palm Sunday
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Apr, 05, 2009
Mark 14:1-15:47
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
Passion Sunday
Gospel Summary
For us Christians, the story of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of
Jesus represents the climax, not just of the earthly career of our
Lord, but of all biblical revelation. The first part of this Passion
story, without the Resurrection, is the gospel selection for this last
Sunday of Lent.
It is impossible to comment on all the elements of this lengthy and
incredibly rich gospel passage, and so I have decided to offer some
thoughts on a little "story-within-the-story," which is the anointing
of Jesus by an unnamed woman at the very beginning of the narrative. At
first glance, this episode appears to be completely irrelevant and we
may be tempted to dismiss it until we read, at the end of the story,
that it is indispensable to the Passion story itself: "…wherever the
gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told
in memory of her."
This story is so important because it is related to the Passion of
Jesus in the same way that a key signature is related to the music that
follows. What this woman did, therefore, tells us how to read and
understand the Passion of Jesus. Briefly stated, her seemingly
extravagant anointing of Jesus represents, in microcosm, what Jesus
himself is about to do for the whole world. Just as she breaks open the
exquisite alabaster cruet and pours its precious and fragrant ointment
on the head of Jesus in anticipation of his death and burial, so also
Jesus will allow his body to be broken in death and will pour the
precious ointment of his life-blood on all of us who are destined to
die.
Her action is considered wasteful and foolish by the bystanders, so
that Jesus must correct them as he praises this woman for her
generosity. And, in like manner, what Jesus does may appear to be
foolish and wasteful to an unbelieving and cynical world, but his
Father will raise him from the dead and thereby confirm forever the
wisdom of his generosity.
Life Implications
If we take this little story of the anointing of Jesus seriously, we
will learn that the passion story is not primarily about how much Jesus
suffered, but rather about how much he loved. He did suffer, of course,
and his suffering was intense. But suffering as such is not necessarily
redemptive. What makes the pain and suffering of Jesus the source of
salvation for us is the fact that it resulted from his extraordinary
loving. We all know that suffering can come from other sources than
loving, such as, not getting our own way or being wedded to false
goals, but this kind of selfish suffering has nothing in common with
the suffering of Jesus.
And so, for example, when we make the Way of the Cross (the Stations),
we may be tempted to say: "I'm with you, Jesus. I'm suffering just as
you did!" But Jesus could very well say to us, "Are you suffering
because you love? If so, by all means join me, and we will walk
together toward Resurrection. Otherwise, please try to learn the real
meaning of love."
The love of Jesus is unselfish and therefore will always involve the
pain of self-denial. In like manner, good parents suffer as they make
sacrifices for their children, just as children suffer when they try to
be more mature and unselfish. Some suffering always results when we
place the needs of others before our own interests. Old people also
suffer when they trust God's goodness and promises in spite of the
apparent hopelessness of their situation. But it is also true that such
loving sacrifice always brings with it real joy, as well as the promise
of eternal happiness.
In this very real human suffering that inevitably follows real loving,
we can be comforted by the assurance that we are being anointed with
the precious blood of Jesus. This enables us to walk with him on the
way of the cross--that loving, painful path that leads to glory. When
we do this, we too will be called foolish and be told that we are
wasting our lives by not working for ourselves alone. But Jesus will
tell us, as he told that generous and sensitive woman, that what we do
is not foolish but "a good thing." Nothing can be more comforting than
to hear Jesus make such a wonderful judgment about our feeble efforts
to walk with Jesus.
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
Palm Sunday
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Passion
(Palm) Sunday
Procession Gospel: St. Matthew 21, 1-11
Mass: Isaiah 50, 4-7; Psalm 22, 8-9. 17-18. 19-20. 23-24; Philippians
2. 6-11; St. Matthew 26, 14-27, 66.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We prepare now with Christ to enter the holiest of weeks in which we
celebrate all of the events leading up to his passion, death and
burial. And in doing so we recall how by his death he has transformed
our death from a curse into the door of eternal life.
Death is transformed by Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, also himself
suffered the death that is part of the human condition. Yet, despite
his anguish as he faced death, he accepted it in an act of complete and
free submission to his Father's will. (Cf. Mk 14:33-34; Heb 5:7-8) The
obedience of Jesus has transformed the curse of death into a blessing.
(Cf. Rom 5:19-21) (CCC 1009)
With the procession of palms which begins today's Mass, we celebrate
Christ's entrance into Jerusalem to accomplish his paschal mystery.
Those who today acclaim him king, and cry "Hosannah!", will days hence
demand he die as a criminal. On Holy Thursday we will take part in a
re-enactment of the foot-washing of the Apostles, the twelve men chosen
as foundation stones of the Church. To them Christ gave the gift of
Christian priesthood and through them he has handed down to us the
perfect memorial of his suffering and death in the Eucharistic
sacrifice. We will honor our Lord's gift of his Body and Blood as we
carry the Blessed Sacrament in procession following Thursday's solemn
liturgy of "The Lord's Supper." We will remain in silent adoration
until midnight.
On Good Friday we enter more fully into the death of the Lord in our
celebration of the Passion.We are strengthened to face our own death as
we accompany our Lord on the via crucis, the way of the cross. We join
ourselves to the obedience of the Son that we may also obey the
Father's will and die a truly "Christian death."
It is in regard to death that man's condition is most shrouded in
doubt.'[GS 18.] In a sense bodily death is natural, but for faith it is
in fact 'the wages of sin.'(Rom 6:23 ;) (cf. Gen 2:17 .) For those who
die in Christ's grace it is a participation in the death of the Lord,
so that they can also share his Resurrection.(Cf. Rom 6:3-9 ; Phil
3:10-11 .) (CCC 1006)
Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning: 'For to me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' (Phil 1:21) 'The saying is
sure:" if we have died with him, we will also live with him." ' (2 Tim
2:11) What is essentially new about Christian death is this: through
Baptism, the Christian has already 'died with Christ' sacramentally, in
order to live a new life; and if we die in Christ's grace, physical
death completes this 'dying with Christ' and so completes our
incorporation into him in his redeeming act." (CCC 1010)
This day in particular is appropriate for the celebration of the
sacrament of Penance. We will adore the holy cross and remain until
midnight in silent contemplation of the glorious Son of God who "reigns
from the wood".
Holy Saturday with its silence bespeaks the breathless waiting of a
world yet held in bondage to ferocious death. The faithful are tested
as they persevere in hope for the Lord of life to manifest himself and
give light to all men. No liturgy is celebrated on Holy Saturday, for
Christ's Church cannot pray except through the living Christ. We watch
and wait at the silent tomb with our Lady and the other faithful ones
who have not abandoned Jesus.
To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ: we must 'be away from the
body and at home with the Lord.' (2 Cor 5:8) In that 'departure' which
is death the soul is separated from the body. (Cf. Phil 1:23) It will
be reunited with the body on the day of resurrection of the dead. (CCC
1005)
St. Leo the Great, pope, speaks compellingly of the mysteries of Holy
Week:
"True reverence for the Lord's passion means fixing the eyes of our
heart on Jesus crucified and recognizing in him our own humanity. The
earth-our earthly nature- should tremble at the suffering of its
Redeemer. The rocks-the hearts of unbelievers- should burst asunder.
The dead, imprisoned in the tombs of their mortality, should come
forth, the massive stones now ripped apart. Foreshadowings of the
future resurrection should appear in the holy city, the Church of God:
what is to happen to our bodies should now take place in our hearts."
(Liturgy of the Hours, Thursday, Fourth Week of Lent)
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
Palm Sunday
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Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
Palm Sunday |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author. |
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