Fr Xavier Writes 24th March 2024
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week and is a day of glory and impending tragedy. The scene is set, with Jesus making his triumphant journey from Bethany to Jerusalem, where he started the final movement which would bring all and everything together through his death, crucified as a common criminal on a cross. The sight of Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, with people waving palm branches, shouting ‘Hosanna’ and acclaiming him as a conquering King, made the visiting crowds, gathered for the festival, stop in amazement. They are not aware that the rejoicing would quickly be swept aside. Before long, as triumph turned to tragedy, those palm branches took the shape of a cross and the hosannas became jeers and calls for his death.
Holy Week is the most sacred time of the church year. It highlights the peak moments of Christ’s love for us, gives us an opportunity to look at our lives and accept responsibility for our sins. The Passion story spells out the last events of the life of Jesus and makes clear the price he paid for our sins. He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter and abandoned by all. There was nothing to comfort Him: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This reminds us that we also journey to God, whose friendship we seek. We also should be aware that we have to meet the same fate as Jesus, whose suffering and death we must join to share his glory. Our victory, like Christ’s, comes only through the cross.
In this final week of Lent, while making special effort to attend the church ceremonies and listen to the Passion story in a spirit of prayer, there is no point in comforting ourselves with the thought that a group of Jews two thousand years ago crucified Christ. Each of us had a hand in his death because the face of Christ is marred and scarred by the violence and injury which we inflict on our neighbours. No-one can follow Jesus through the liturgy of Holy Week without the truth dawning anew in our hearts. The truth is that God loves us all, with a love that cost him death on the cross.
God loves us. Have a blessed Holy Week.
