This is Palm Sunday – the beginning of Holy Week. And what a week it is – full of drama and revealing insights into human nature. I tend to think that Christianity is the # 1 faith belief in the world in no small part because of the events of this particular week.
What am I saying? I’ll try to explain… There is a sameness in human nature that cuts across all languages, cultures and ages of the world. Holy Week peels back the veneer that tends to hide the brokenness of our human nature. The emotions of Holy Week are emotions that all peoples can relate to. They range from the heights of elation to the depths of consternation; even despair. This is why this week is so extraordinary!
Take for example Palm Sunday. Jesus comes into Jerusalem riding on a colt to the cheers and hosannas of the people. He’s well known as a miracle-worker and a great teacher and leader. The people of Jerusalem believe he is the Messiah, who will deliver them from the power of the Roman occupiers and who will establish an everlasting kingdom. How privileged they are to see it! People jostle to get close to him, children dance and sing about him, palms are laid before him. He is greeted with great fanfare.
As the week progresses, Jesus begins to do things that give the people pause. With great consternation, he turns over the tables and yells at the people of the temple. He insults the chief priests of the magnificently restored temple by telling them that God’s kingdom is going to be taken away from them and given to others who will bear fruit. You can almost sense the unease of Jesus’ disciples as this week progresses. They’ve never seen Jesus quite so worked up.
By Thursday, the eve of the Passover, Jesus has called the twelve together for a meal. Perhaps they are thinking to themselves, “This is the Jesus we know. Here we are again enjoying a meal together as before.” Jesus uses the occasion to teach them another lesson. Wrapping a towel around himself he performs the menial task of washing their feet. “Ok,” they may be thinking to themselves, “This is consistent with some of what we’ve heard before.” But then things change. Jesus announces that one of them will betray him. Judas Iscariot leaves the room, and a great solemnity descends upon the meal. Jesus then takes bread and wine and declares them to be his body and blood. He gives them a solemn command. “Do this in memory of me.” “Why in memory?” they think to themselves. “Is he going away?”
Go away he does, and few of them follow. Jesus prays while Judas sets in motion his arrest. When the soldiers arrive, Peter tries to defend Jesus by using force. Peter later that night denies he even knows Jesus. It’s all crashing down among them; all their hopes for the kingdom with Jesus seems to be going crazily wrong.
After the arrest Jesus then becomes a political football. The chief priests don’t want to take the responsibility for killing him so they punt him to Herod. Herod punts him to Caiaphas. Caiaphas punts him to Pilate. Pilate puts Jesus before the people of Jerusalem. And here is where we see the people – many of them the same people who just five days ago lauded Jesus as king – call for his crucifixion. Oh, the humanity of it! And this is the great reach of Christianity. This helps explain its being the largest faith denomination in the world. Each of us can identify with the characters of this Holy Week. We’ve been betrayed and we’ve betrayed others. We’ve had our hopes built up and had them dashed.
Be part of this Holy Week as we re-live the world-changing events played out before us. It begins this Holy Thursday at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, continues Good Friday for the reenactment of the Passion of the Lord, and concludes at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday or, if not then, at a Holy Mass on Easter Sunday. Discover, or rediscover, the humanity of the players in this grand drama, and perhaps find yourself there among them. (Please note that the Easter Vigil is extraordinarily beautiful and includes extra biblical readings, baptisms of those in the RCIA, First Communion and Confirmation of the RCIA elect and runs about three hours in length).
In Christ,
Fr. Lawrence