Today we are in the middle of a paradox. On the one hand, we are filled with joy.
• As Jesus enters Jerusalem, throngs of people rejoice.
• The promised Savior has finally come!
The Messiah is here! Redemption is at hand! But then, on the other hand, we turn towards the sorrowful narrative of our Lord's rejection, suffering, and death - with his passion.
• Palm Sunday is also Passion Sunday.
• It is a solemn, silent moment.
How can a day of triumph be filled with both joy and sorrow? Because what seems to be Christ's defeat is actually his victory, the victory of everlasting love.
• "A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
• That's what Jesus taught, and that's what he did in his passion, to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that his love for us has no limits.
• The angels sang "Glory to God in the Highest" when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and now the people sing, "Hosanna in the Highest" as Jesus enters Jerusalem.
Both entrances were motivated by God's love, the same love that led him to be obedient to the Father even to the point of death,
• so as to reverse the disobedience of Adam,
• pay the price of our sins,
• and rescue fallen mankind from hopelessness and injustice. We have solved our paradox.
• The source of our sorrow is sin, our sins, the cause of Christ's suffering.
• But the source of our joy is Christ's love, the very reason Jesus was willing to suffer, and the very power that, through his sacrifice on the cross, conquers our sins.
And so Christians can always live inside the paradox of Palm Sunday, can always find joy, the joy of Christ's limitless love, even amidst the profoundest sorrows.
ILLUSTRATION: Everyone knows the expression, "Hindsight is 20/20," but the paradox of Palm Sunday actually gives us 20/20 foresight.
• Only God knows the details of the future.
• But through the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection, he has already revealed to us the general pattern.
• We know that, as long as we stay united to Christ through prayer, the sacraments, and obedience to his will, all of our crosses - our sufferings, failures, and frustrations - will be transformed into resurrections.
• And that knowledge gives us all the wisdom and strength we need for our journey through life.
Pope Benedict explained this in his last Encyclical Letter, Saved by Hope.
• In this letter, he explained that "Faith is hope."
• The Bible says that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
• The Pope described what this means on a practical level.
• He explains that "through faith, in a tentative way, or as we might say 'in embryo'... there are already present in us the things that are hoped for: the whole, true life" (Spe salvi, #7).
• In other words, our faith in Christ gives us certainty that Christ's promises of healing, justice, and everlasting happiness will come true, just as his promise about his resurrection came true.
• And so, because of that certainty, we can begin to experience that fullness of life, even while we carry our crosses through this fallen world.
And so, the more deeply we believe in the mystery Christ has revealed - eternal life and resurrection of the faithful - the more easily we can find meaning in our past, joy in our present, and confidence to walk towards the future with the 20/20 vision of Christian hope, focused always on Christ.
APPLICATION: During these days, the Holy Spirit wants to teach how to live this paradox more deeply. He will do so as we spend more time with Christ in personal prayer and come together for the special liturgies during the week. [Here you may want to give an overview of parish activities throughout the week.]
If we live this week well, seven days from now we will know Christ's love for us better, and so we will be better able to experience true Christian joy, even in the midst of life's trials.
• We should be grateful for the freedom we have in this country to celebrate Holy Week,
• a freedom not all Catholics enjoy,
• and we should also be grateful for our faith, that precious gift which is the key to living these days fruitfully.
But there are many people around us who do not have this faith. Each of us knows some of them: neighbors, colleagues, even family members.
• Maybe no one ever told them about Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Redeemer.
• Maybe life's challenges made them fall into temptation, trading in their true Christian faith for some other, more fashionable world view.
• Whatever the reason, the fact remains: they don't have palm branches in their hands today.
• They are not sharing in Christ's victory, not even a little bit.
• They are like the people in the Gospel who came up to the rejoicing crowds and asked, "Who is this? What's going on?"
Is there any better way for us to celebrate this holiest week of the year than by answering that question? By telling them who Jesus is and who he wants to be for them?
Pope John Paul II used to say that the best way to grow in our own faith was by giving it away to others. This week, strengthened by our celebration today, let's put that theory to the test. Christ's victory is too precious to keep to ourselves.
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