Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Thursday evening, I was at hospice (again) to give the last sacrament Greg O’Connell. Greg was only his sixties. He had fallen at his nursing home and injured his head rather seriously. Only his daughter and her friend were at his deathbed when I visited. In times like these, I often take the time to explain to the family the meaning of the last Sacraments and invite them to participate. I explain to them how these Sacrament are as much for the comfort and consolation of the grieving family as it is for wellbeing of the dying person. When I said all this to Greg’s daughter, she said to me, “I am not a religious person. I am OK. Please do what needs to be done for him.” I took the time to explain to her that our relationships are as important to God as they are to us. I asked her if she wanted this relationship with death. And she said that she did not. I explained to her that we are all intimately connected when we celebrate these last Sacraments – God and the dying person and us. At the final farewell, Greg’s daughter came and stood right next to her father and me. And even though she was not fully convinced of my explanation, she bid her father good bye in God’s name. The point that I am trying to make is that there is difference between standing by and watching someone die and becoming intimately part of that death.
Today we are celebrating Palm Sunday. With this celebration we enter into Holy Week. This week commemorates another death. The entire week is gearing up for that one event where God embraces death for our sake. And there are numerous postures we can take. We can either stand back and watch the events pass by or we can get involved. I want to offer three points for us to reflect upon as we enter the holiest of all weeks.
1. Reliving the Story of Jesus. I had said to Greg’s daughter that the last Sacraments are not just for the dying but also for us. I was trying to connect her dad who would die, her, and the future that God offers us. As Christians we are able to connect the past, the present and the future in a seamless way. Yes, we can relive in the present what Jesus did for us in the past; and we can bring what awaits us in the future into the present. As we enter Holy Week, then, I am suggesting that we do not merely think about what Jesus has done for us. I am suggesting that we do not just recall what Jesus has done for us. I am not even suggesting that we merely reenact what Jesus did for us. I am suggesting that we RELIVE it. On Holy Thursday, do not be a mere bystander but rather be present at the table of the Last supper with Jesus. Allow Jesus to wash your feet. On Good Friday, feel Jesus’ heartbeat, feel his pain and enter into his death. Be like Mary, John and his few other friends who stood under and cross and loved him. On Holy Saturday, mourn with the family of Jesus and the church. Relive the story of Jesus. I believe that if we do this then at Easter, we will also experience the genuine joy of the resurrection of Jesus. Don’t be a by stander this Holy Week.
2. The story of Jesus is My Story/Our Story. Why am I suggesting that we RELIVE an event that happened two thousand years ago? Because at the end of it all we realize that this is hardly just the story of Jesus. This is our story. There is a difference between those for whom Holy Week and Easter makes sense and for those whom it is just another Easter. The first group of people realizes that Christ’s suffering was actually ours, his pain was really ours and that that cross should have been our destiny. Those for whom Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday makes sense are those for whom the story of Jesus and their story has become ONE. Once again, then, let our life mingle with the life and death of Jesus. Once again, let us see Jesus in our life and see his in ours. I invite you to live your story through the story of Jesus. Remember, if we RELIVE the life and death of Jesus then his resurrection will be ours a well.
3. Praying the Story. I want to suggest a very practical way to RELIVE the story of Jesus. Last year, I took the imaginative prayer approach. I decided to assume a character in the story of Jesus. Last year I chose to be Nicodemus. This year, I would like to be the disciples John. I want to relive the events of Holy Week from John’s perspective. May I suggest to you the same? I invite you to read the passion of Jesus in any of the gospels and assume a character. RELIVE the story of Jesus from the perspective of this character. Use your imaginative creativity. Use the gospel as a guide but then create your own story around the story of Jesus. You may even keep a journal and write your experience. This is the best way to avoid being a bystander. This is the best way to find meaning in the celebrations of Holy Week. This is the best way to be involved. This is the best way to let your story and the story of Jesus become one.
I would like to invite each one of you to relive the entire story of Holy Week. Please do not absent yourself from the Thursday celebration of the Lord’s Supper, from remembering the passion and death of Jesus on Friday, and the hopeful expectation of Holy Saturday. Do not be a by stander. Let us RELIVE the events of our salvation. Amen.
Fr. Satish Joseph