Palm Sunday (B)

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. (Mk 15:1-39)

This Sunday is called Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. Two Gospels are read.

The first is read before the Mass proper. It relates the story of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The gospel story is re-enacted with the blessing of the palms and the procession into the church. Later the blessed palms are brought home. Some people put them on their doors or windows. Others put them on the wall. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday come the ashes that remain after these dried palms are burned.

The passion of Jesus is read as the gospel of the Sunday. (It is, therefore, fitting that the liturgical color is red.) Because it is long, the passion narrative is sometimes divided among different readers. The part of Jesus is read by the priest, of course. There is a repeat of the passion reading on Good Friday. The narrative is always taken from the Gospel of John. In some places the passion narrative is sung in Gregorian chant.

LESSONS

The cross is the icon of the passion. Contemplating on the cross, we can arrive at two conclusions. The first is that sins of humanity must be so grave. The second is that God must love us so much.

We are sinful.

The principle of proportionality demands that the gravity of the crime must dictate the severity of the punishment. At the time of Noah, the cumulative wickedness of men brought the deluge that almost wiped out life on earth. The wickedness of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah condemned them and their cities to a fiery end. The sins of all men must be so enormous so that it was not enough for a mere man to suffer the cruel death of crucifixion. It had to be God. It might be a good idea to watch The Passion of the Christ in order to get a feel of the gravity of our sins.

Smile. God loves you.

St. Paul said that with some difficulty you might be able to find someone who would be willing to die for a good man. But to die for a wicked man? Yet Jesus did just that. And that proves how much he loved us. While we were still God's enemies, he gave his life as a ransom for us.

Through the cross God tells us, "I do love you." I am reminded of a valentine card. There was a cuddly teddy bear in front. And there was the question: "Do you know how much I love you?" When you open the card, the teddy bear opens its arms. And there is the declaration, "This much." On the cross Jesus asks us: "Do you know how much I love you?" And with arms nailed on the cross, says: "This much!"