Peace be with you!
This weekend at Mass we will receive palms and will hear of Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. And not so long after we will be the crowd that yells Crucify Him. Isn't it odd that we receive palms, and often hold them during the reading of the Passion, while being the crowd condemning Jesus to death? It's not done by accident. The palms we receive are a reminder that we hail Jesus as our Sovereign. They remind us that, even during the reading of the Passion, we still believe He is King.
The palms we hold on Palm Sunday set us apart from the crowd of Palm Sunday and Good Friday. By the very fact of us coming to Mass and receiving the palms, we are saying that we will follow the Lord to the Cross. This doesn't mean that it will be easy or perfect. Sometimes we will be like John or Mary who stand at the foot of the Cross, and sometimes we will be like Peter who three times claimed not to know Jesus.
Luckily for us we know the end of the story. We know what takes place on Easter Sunday. We know that Peter built the Church entrusted to Him by Christ. We know that the Beloved Disciple, John, took Mary into his home. We know that Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven to be with her Son. But what if we didn't know any of this? What would our lives look like if we were present in the crowd welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem? What would our faith look like if we watched Christ being sent off with the Cross?
Thanks be to God we never have to be in that situation, but these questions are important to meditate on from time to time. As we gather this week for our Triduum Liturgy, let us try to enter imagine ourselves in first century Jerusalem. On Holy Thursday as the priest processes with the Eucharist, think of Jesus and the Apostles going out to the Mount of Olives. On Good Friday, imagine being next to the Holy Women and the Beloved Disciple as they walk to Calvary. On Holy Saturday, imagine being in the upper room with the Apostles thinking all hope is lost. And finally, on Easter Sunday, go to the tomb with Mary Magdalene and experience all the emotions she must have felt before the Risen Lord appeared to her.
Yes we have the end of the story, but that doesn't mean we should fast forward to the end. When we watch our favorite movie that we've seen 100 times and know the ending of, we don't skip over the climatic moment where it appears all hope is lost. Rather, we experience it as if it's the first time we've seen it. This week, let us enter into the Passion of our Lord as if we were present in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. In our prayer this week, ask God to be invited deeper into the Paschal Mystery, so we can share it with all those we meet.
Totus Tuus!
"Corpus Christi-St. Bernard Parish is a Catholic faith community centered in the Eucharistic celebration. We give witness to our baptismal promises and commit ourselves to learn, love, and live the message of Jesus Christ."
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Corpus Christi - St. Bernard Parish
1523 Washington Street
West Newton, MA 02465
Office Hours
Monday - Friday | 8:30am - 3:30pm
P: 617-244-0608
F: 617-969-1025
E: info@ccsbparish.org