28/03/2010 - PALM SUNDAY - C
Lk 19,28-40 1 Reading Is 50,4-7 Psalm 21 2 Reading Phil 2,6-11 Gospel Lk 22,14 - 23,56
Let us begin Holy Week that celebrates our salvation. We have accompanied Jesus
at his entrance into the Holy City, where he is proclaimed King, but not by kings
and powerful people of this world, but by the poor and the children, by his disciples
and by those who, with all simplicity, recognize the presence of God where there
is love. All sing to him the Psalm that says: "Blessed is he who is coming
in the name of the Lord", the prophetic Psalm by which the pilgrims use to
express their joy once they reach their destiny, after a troublesome journey, to
the place of the adoration of God: here their salvation is fulfilled. The coming
of Jesus is the salvation. Salvation is the coming of Jesus! It's here, in this
city, that he shall offer to God the sacrifice which pleases him, the sacrifice
that redeems the whole of humanity.
This sacrifice is prepared and celebrated by Jesus and his disciples, before it's
fulfilled in the garden of olives and on the cross. "This is my body, given
for you; do this in memory of me", says Jesus to his apostles. They didn't
know and could not understand the importance of what their Master was doing. They
will understand it time after, like us, who celebrate very many times until we come
to understand something. "My body, given for you": in the garden of olives
Jesus offers himself to fulfill the Father's will. He knew that the Father's will
was the one proclaimed by the prophets: that the Son is to manifest to men the fullness
of his perfect love: men will see this love when he is put to test, hence the Son
of God needed to suffer and die. In front of Judah, Chaifa, Pilate and Herod Jesus
continues to highlight love, always and only love, without any reaction that make
one think of hatred, revenge, lack of patience.
Today we listen to the story of human cruelty against Jesus, the same cruelty that
is going on in various countries. And at the same time we hear of peace and the
will of love that come from the Lord, which continues to be manifested wherever
the Christians are being persecuted, accused, made object of violent and tremendous
injustices.
We see the temptation of the disciples to react with the same arms of the world
until Jesus stops them and heals the wounds of his enemies. It is a lesson which
we need, because risk to fall into the same temptation all the time, like Peter.
The decision of this apostle to follow the Master was not enough humble to resist
in trail. His tears, though, become an encouragement to all of us, not to loose
heart in our failures, but to keep on rising up: Jesus follows us patiently with
his love. The whole interrogation which he had to face, helps us to come to know
him more: it didn't help those to did it, because they were not for the truth, they
didn't want to know the will of God, but they defended their own interests.
We know Jesus deeper from his words and from his silence, by which he answered to
the big and small. His answer to the thief, who was suffering with him, is the word
we would want for ourselves. He knew that the arrival, not only for himself, but
for all, is heaven, the place of happiness: he promised it to the condemned who
started to give him a special place in his heart. We know that Jesus his able to
love the great sinners, so that when they welcome him, they are no longer sinners,
but candidates for heaven.
We then accompany the burial of Jesus, or better, to the preparation of his resurrection!
The silence of the women introduces us to the silence with which we are to live
this week. We are to be in contemplation of Jesus who suffers and dies: because
of him, we try to find time for silence and put to silence in us and around us all
that which normally keep us away from being united with the Lord and Master, source
of true life and joy, source of power that we need to go over the every day issues.
Let us live this week as a unique possibility to grow into the maturity of faith
and love.