St. Edward on the Lake, Lakeport, MI | DOWNLOAD AUDIO
April 9, 2017
Is 50:4-7; Phil 2:6-11; Mt 26:14-27:66
In many ways, the lengthy Passion reading speaks for itself. Now, I’m not trying to get out of preaching a homily. I’m just saying that it’s a long reading, and there’s not enough time now to go through everything that’s there. My suggestion is that it’s a great thing to read again this week and reflect on, that if you want something for your prayer this week, read the Passion and spend some time reflecting on it. The reason why we hear the reading of the Passion at the beginning of Holy Week is to remind ourselves of what this week is all about. This is what the Lord is going to go through this week, and He’s going to go through it for us. And so, this is a preparation for us so that we would spend this week having true sorrow for our sins (which have caused Our Lord’s suffering), but also gratitude because although I don’t deserve it, my Lord has chosen to give up His life for me so that I might be saved.
What I do want to focus on is the unique thing that we do at the start of the Mass on Palm Sunday, and that’s the blessing of the palms and the procession. First, what is the meaning of the palms? Palms are a symbol of victory. The people are carrying them as Christ is entering Jerusalem. They also lay them on the ground as He rides in on the donkey. They are shouting, “Hosanna,” which means, “save us” or “Grant us salvation”. They are acknowledging Him as their King, and the procession itself represents Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem (as it does at every Mass).
Now the palms, once they’ve been blessed are sacramentals, which means they are for our spiritual benefit and must be treated with care. And so they can be placed in the home or somewhere where it can be a witness to our faith in Jesus Christ and a reminder to us that He is our King and Savior. The palms remind us that Jesus is our King, and He is a victorious King because in His Passion and on the Cross, He is going to take death and the devil head on and defeat them. He will triumph over sin and death so that we will no longer be under their power.
Now, many of us are not off this week. People are still going to work or school, and so it can be very easy for us to treat this week like any other week. But it’s not just another week. This is the week of our salvation. And so, we want to make sure that we’re not just watching the events of Holy Week from the sidelines; we want to get into the game. We want to participate, interiorly, so that we can enter into the events of Holy Week. Jesus is going to suffer and die for us. We want to be able to walk with Him along the way. So how can we do that this Holy Week?
The first thing is to make this a week of prayer. Set aside some extra time every day this week to pray. Families, get together this week and pray, even for just a few minutes. Family prayer can do so much to strengthen family bonds, and Lent is a great time to focus on the family. Pray the Rosary together. Read the Scriptures together especially the Gospel stories on the Passion and talk about it. Spend some time reflecting on Our Lord’s suffering and death for our salvation. Ask the Lord to give you true sorrow for your sins. And be thankful that He was willing to give up His life so that you could have eternal life.
Second, come to the events of Holy Week, especially Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Listening to the readings at Mass and reflecting on them, participating in the procession and adoration on Holy Thursday, kissing the Cross on Good Friday can all help us to really be present with the Lord during His Passion.
In addition to making Holy Week a week of prayer, make it a week of sacrifice. Jesus is about to make the ultimate sacrifice for us. One way that we could stand with Him is by making some sacrifices of our own. Make it a week for some extra silence. You know how distracting those screens can be. Maybe cut back on TV, the phone, or video games this week. Or give them up altogether. The point is don’t let this week pass by without getting involved. Instead, be a part of this week so that you can really appreciate what Our Lord has done for us and benefit from it.
My prayer for all of you this week is peace – peace that comes from the knowledge that the Lord loves you so much that He is willing to suffer and die for you. May this Holy Week be a time of great grace for each of us that it might strengthen our faith and our love for Him.
