My Sisters and Brothers:
An important theme in the Gospel according to Matthew, is the question: “Who is Jesus?”
This is also an important question for us today as we contemplate our
faith in him, and as we enter into this most holy week.
The importance
that we give to Jesus in our lives will determine how we will respond in
faith to all of the questions of our lives. In the first commandment
we are told not to take other gods besides the Lord (see Exodus 20:3-4).
If in our Christian faith we have accepted Jesus as Lord, then we must
turn away from those things that prevent us from saying a sincere “Hosanna” when he enters into our lives.
Are we like the people in our first Gospel of today (see Mark 11:1-10), who proclaim “Hosanna to the Lord”
and then as soon as it gets difficult, or there are other distractions,
turn away and forget to call him Lord?
In the second reading today we
hear that Jesus “became obedient, even to the point of accepting death” (see Philippians 2:8).
As he came into Jerusalem and was cheered by the people, he surely
already knew what would happen to him. In that moment, as they honored
him by waving their palm branches, his followers must have been very
proud of their Lord and that they were with him in his triumph. The
people who cheered him must have been so excited to see such an
important person. It must have given them reason to feel fortunate and
blessed. And yet, just a couple of days later, these very same people
would turn on him and demand that he be killed. Unlike Jesus who
remained obedient to the Father, those people chose what was easier–they
went with the sentiment of the crowds.
As we contemplate the Passion
of our Lord, as we do in the reading of the Gospel today (see Mark 14:1—15:47),
we are asked to examine the depth of our own commitment to him. How
will we respond when things get difficult? Do we believe that we are
always faithful to him, but fail to observe the basic demands of our
faith such as loving our neighbors, serving those in need, and forgiving
those who sin against us? Do we surround ourselves with our own
comforts and fail to recognize the passion and death of Jesus in the
lives of those in our world who continue to suffer? Is our commitment
to the Lord genuine and part of every aspect of our lives?
These are
some simple questions we might ask ourselves as we enter into this week
when we remember the passion and death of Jesus. Today, we hold our
palm branches and we say “Hosanna to the Lord.” May the palms
always remind us of the enthusiasm of our faith, and may we keep this
enthusiasm even when it is not easy. As we enter into this period of
contemplating the passion and death of Jesus, may we recommit ourselves
to fidelity to him who is always our Lord.
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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