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Palm Sunday: Philippians 2:6
The Sunday Of The Passion
April 8, 2001
“ and being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:7
* * * * *
Today is Palm Sunday…..The Sunday of the Passion.
Today marks the beginning of Holy Week…..The largest and the most
lengthy part of the Gospels…..
is devoted to the Passion of our Lord…..
that is…..His rejection…..His suffering…..His
Crucifixion…..His pain…..His humiliation
……the heart break of being sent by the Father for the glorious
task to bring peace and reconciliation and Salvation…..
yet, nevertheless He was rejected by His own people…..
To be sure…..Palm Sunday is a Day of mixed moods…..of mixed
emotions…..for on the one hand…..there is much jubilation as
our Lord rides into the Holy City of Jerusalem…..
for the crowds were so sure that the long awaited, conquering
Messiah had now come…..and soon the would be rid of their
hated Roman oppressors…..and they would now be free again.
Instead this Conquering Messiah did not come to conquer the
Romans…..yes, instead this Messiah came to conquer the hearts of
God’s rebellious and prideful and unfaithful people…..
and to win them over, not for their own national sovereignty
but Jesus came to conquer and to win them over for
God’s own Kingdom.
Palm Sunday is a day of mixed moods and emotions
…..for on the other hand…..in just a few days…..this same
crowd that shouted Hosannas…..would be shouting:
“Crucify Him! - Crucify Him!”
Where will you be on that Day when we celebrate how our
Salvation was won for us?
Will you be at the foot of the Cross…..with Mary and John,
the beloved Disciple, whom Jesus loved…..
…..will you be there with them in their Vigil as the watch
…..as they watch the Gates of Heaven now being unlocked and
flung open by Him who only had the key?
Peter was absolutely certain that He would stand by his Lord
in His hour of trial,
however, we know what Peter and the other Disciples did
for when the going got rough.
They were not to be found.
Or will you be part of the crowd that turned from Hosannas…..
to Crucify Him, Crucify Him?
Or maybe we might be part of those passers by…..not looking up to
see what is going on…..who are totally indifferent to
“The Drama of Salvation?”
Indeed…..the Passion has to do with…..
the last week of our Lord’s life before the Crucifixion.
To be sure, our Lord was man of Passion…..of very deep and
immense Passion…..He was no Mr. Milk Toast. When He drove the
money changers out of the Temple, just after He entered Jerusalem
with fire in His eyes and with righteous indignation of God Himself
…..and with a bull whip in His hands…..as He turned over
the tables of the money changers…. He shouted:
“My house shall be called a House of Prayer…..
but you have made it a den of thieves!”
We are quite sure that Jesus just didn’t whisper these words…..
For…..in His overwhelming anger at those defiling God’s House &
God’s Holy Temple…..we know that
He must have shouted at the top of His voice.
Mr. Milk Toast - Sweet Jesus - Savior meek & mild?…..
I think not.
It took a great deal of courage to do this…..for in those days,
you just didn’t go around calling the Holy Men of the Temple,
crooks & thieves…..without dire and severe consequences.
In doing this…..it sealed Jesus’ fate, and so the Cross became a
virtual reality…..and from this
Jesus did not shy away or shrink back…..
but instead, He continued to walk the Path that was destined by
God, for the Savior of the World to walk.
In today’s Gospel…..from St. Luke…..we have the longest Gospel
that we read throughout the entire Christian Year.
For in the Passion Gospel and the Passion narrative…..we have not
only the earliest record of the Gospel…..
but we have the heart of the Christian Gospel…..
we have the fulfillment of our Lord’s Ministry…..
in obedience, fulfilling the Mission for which He came
…..and we have the story of our Redemption and our Salvation.
And yet…..St. Paul…..
in his Epistle to the Philippians, the Church at Philippi…..gives
us in just a few sentences…..in the economy of just a few words
St. Paul gives us the essence of the mind and the heart of Christ.
When he writes:
“And being found in human form, He humbled Himself…..and became
obedient unto death…..even death on a Cross.”
In this short passage…..St. Paul gives us something of the single
minded ness and the dedication of our Lord to do the
Father’s will…..no matter what…..
…..even it meant…..even it meant…..
going to a horrible death on the Cross.
Today…..as we look out on our world…..we know for sure
…..without any doubt whatsoever…..that we are still in need of
a Savior…..to save us from those things which would destroy
us…..war - hatred - prejudice - greed - injustice -
indifference to Human Rights.
We not only need to be renewed…..but we each
We each need a Savior…..to do for us…..
that which we cannot do for ourselves…..
That is…..to be empowered by God’s Divine Grace…..to be
reconciled with God…..and to be reconciled
with one another…..
……and for each one of us…..and for the Family of Nations to
live in Peace with one another.
And so today, on this Palm Sunday…..
which marks the beginning of Holy Week…..
We once again recount, we remember, we recall…..those events
by which our Salvation was won for us…..Salvation which was
won for us at an unbelievable price and cost of…..
The death of God’s only Son.
And so as we recount those events…..we become more and more aware
of the breadth and the depth and the height of God’s love for
each one of us…..
a love which constrains us…..which compels us,
to be thankful and…..
For which we should never, never take for granted.
The Church has always preferred to celebrate the Resurrection and
the joy of Easter…..attendance on Good Friday compared to
Easter Day proves that…..
…..Easter is so much more pleasant…..rather than to watch wit
our Lord as He walks the Via Dolorosa…..
on that first Good Friday of all Fridays…..
it is not pleasant to watch as He endures
untold sorrow and suffering…..
even death on the Cross.
And yet…..it is only in knowing the depth of our Lord’s
sacrifice, that we could ever experience
the Joy of Easter and the wonder of the Resurrection…..
and the Blessed Gift of Eternal Life
for those who follow Him and those who love Him
Those whose hearts and whose lives are open to receive
What He so freely, and so lovingly gives
A special place in His Father’s House
That He has prepared a place for you - for me
that He has prepared a place for each and every one of us.
T E X T:
“And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became
obedient unto death, even death on a + Cross + “
+ + +
A M E N & A M E N ! ! !
jdp+
