Homily Palm Sunday 2008

In his book, The Passion of the Lamb, Father Thomas Acklin, writes…

“The passion and the suffering of Christ go beyond any physical
and occur most deeply in the wounds of vulnerable love
being blindly scorned and abused.”

“…while God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent…he is [also] infinite, self-emptying Love.”
“He is omni-vulnerable!”

"To the degree that our passion has been lived in the passion of Jesus Christ,
in a life of loving and self-emptying…
will we be one with the Son eternally
and will behold eternally the glory of the Father
in His infinite outpouring of himself.”

The powerful lesson of the drama of Passion of Jesus Christ we have just heard
is that the complete self-emptying love which is at its core
is in fact the blueprint of our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Every time we shirk an opportunity to sacrifice of ourselves for the good of another,
Every time we insist on one-upping someone so we appear on top of the heap,
Every time we clamor for first place, popularity, or the center of attention,
Every time we insist in putting our personal stamp on the Church’s treasures
instead of handing on the pure faith and the complete Tradition,
Every time we put personal feelings above moral absolutes and eternal realities,
we turn our backs on the Passion of Christ
and we fail in our baptismal commitment to Him.

The center of “sin” is “I”!

[PAUSE]
The Gospel of Saint John…quoting the Prophet Isaiah…declares…
“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.”

Pope John Paul II repeatedly encouraged us to seek the face of Christ.

The mere sight of the d and pierced body of Christ on the Cross…
and of His anguished face…
compels us to live a life of sacrifice in Him and after His example.

Today we join the crowds of the Hebrew people in proclaiming Jesus our Messiah
and in welcoming Him triumphant in our midst.

In 5 days we shall join His ers in nailing Him to a Cross.

When we gather for the Sacred Liturgy our love for Christ is strong.
In every Mass we sing “Hosanna!”
The challenge is to be people of integrity who keep that love alive and vibrant…
who behold always the anguished face of Christ…
on the cross…and in our suffering brothers and sisters.

May we triumphantly welcome Jesus into our hearts always
and embrace the Passion of Christ as the inspiration of every moment of life.