{"id":1789,"date":"2016-03-20T13:55:29","date_gmt":"2016-03-20T17:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=1789"},"modified":"2021-03-30T16:56:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T20:56:33","slug":"palm-sunday-of-the-passion-of-the-lord-year-c-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/palm-sunday-of-the-passion-of-the-lord-year-c-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year C – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year C<\/a>
\nLuke 19:28-40
\nIsaiah 50:4-7
\nPsalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
\nPhilippians 2:6-11
\nLuke 22:14-23:56
\nMarch 20, 2016<\/p>\n

We begin Holy Week on a high note, the same high note that Jesus entered into Jerusalem for the final time with the royal welcome.<\/p>\n

As Jesus approached Jerusalem people were coming to him<\/em>, treating it like the arrival of a king.\u00a0 In fact, they explicitly refer to him as a king when their words of greeting, \u201cBlessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 We sing similar words in the Sanctus as we start the Eucharistic Prayer with \u201cblessed is him who comes in the name of the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

While they didn\u2019t yet really know what it meant to call Jesus their king, they clearly wanted him as their king.<\/p>\n

While the week starts with great joy, it turns into a very difficult week in the story of Jesus\u2019 Passion beginning with the Last Supper.<\/p>\n

It was the time for the Passover meal that Jesus had \u201ceagerly desired<\/em>\u201d to eat with his disciples even though He knew that it would lead to his suffering.<\/p>\n

Knowing what was about to happen, Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist, his Body and Blood<\/em>.\u00a0 Jesus intimately ties the Eucharist to his sacrifice on the Cross when He says \u201cThis is my body, which will be given for you\u2026.This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Eucharist is the <\/em>sacrifice on the Cross so each time we celebrate and receive the Eucharist, we must<\/em> remember the Crucifixion.<\/p>\n

This can be a challenge.\u00a0 In human terms, the Crucifixion doesn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 How can this happen to the Messiah?\u00a0 Confused Peter will deny that he knows Jesus three times.<\/p>\n

Even Jesus who knows his Passion is coming \u201cas it has been determined<\/em>\u201d is troubled by it.\u00a0 After the meal is over, Jesus goes off to pray to prepare for what is to come.\u00a0 In the garden, he prays, \u201cFather, if you are willing, take this cup away from me<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus did not want<\/em> to suffer.\u00a0 \u201cHe was in such agony<\/em>\u201d that \u201chis sweat became like drops of blood<\/em>\u201d as his prayer continued, \u201cstill, not my will but yours be done.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus is then arrested, betrayed by the kiss of Judas who He had called to be one of his Apostles.<\/p>\n

From there Jesus is questioned and put on trial.\u00a0 He is completely innocent<\/em>!\u00a0 They have to grasp at straws for testimony against him to put him on trial for making himself a king.<\/p>\n

Remember when Jesus received the royal welcome to Jerusalem?\u00a0 Some of the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke his disciples for making him a king but now they are the ones calling him a king to use it against him.<\/p>\n

Even Pilate declares Jesus to be innocent three times!\u00a0 Yet it is also Pilate who consents to Jesus\u2019 Crucifixion just to appease the crowds.\u00a0 The mob mentality takes over.\u00a0 The crowds have lost their senses.<\/p>\n

Jesus knows this when he says, \u201cFather, forgive them, they know not what they do<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

They say to him, \u201csave yourself<\/em>\u201d but Jesus did not come to save himself.<\/p>\n

Even one of the criminals crucified alongside Jesus mocks him, \u201cSave yourself and us<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Yet, it is the second criminal crucified with Jesus who rebukes the first criminal as he recognizes that Jesus is innocent.<\/p>\n

It is also the second criminal who realizes that Jesus\u2019 kingdom is not of this world and that Jesus has the power to save when he says to Jesus, \u201cJesus, remember me when you come into our kingdom<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

This criminal admits his own guilt while also knowing that Jesus has the power to save him.\u00a0 Jesus responds to him, \u201cToday you will be with me in Paradise<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Salvation is possible for sinners because of Jesus\u2019 action on the Cross.<\/p>\n

How can death save us?<\/p>\n

It is not death itself that saves us but rather Jesus\u2019 supreme act of love as He gives, as he sacrifices<\/em>, his life for us.<\/p>\n

Jesus gives it all over to his Father.<\/p>\n

Look at the Crucifix.\u00a0 Does it make sense?\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to.\u00a0 The Cross is not about what makes sense.\u00a0 Look at Jesus on the Cross\u00a0and see love.<\/p>\n

It is in love that Jesus saves us as long as we follow the second criminal, repent and believe in what Jesus does for us.<\/p>\n

Remember the words of the repentant criminal “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom<\/em>.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year C Luke 19:28-40 Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 March 20, 2016 We begin Holy Week on a high note, the same high note that Jesus entered into Jerusalem for the final time with the royal welcome. As Jesus approached Jerusalem …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year C – Homily’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[26],"tags":[166,168,167],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-sR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1789"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6131,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions\/6131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}