Sunday, March 24, 2024

PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION, March 24, 2024

(Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47)

We are all aware that Jesus' last words vary in three of the four gospels. The differences are more than a matter of words. They express different perspectives on how to understand who Jesus is.  In Luke, Jesus is seen as the supremely compassionate friend to all. When he dies, he has words of comfort on his lips: “Father, into your hands I commend my hands.” The Gospel of Saint John portrays Jesus as the incarnate Son of God who comes into the world with a specific mission. As the task is completed on the cross, his last words are: “It is finished.”

Without a doubt the last words of Jesus in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew are the most difficult to understand. In both gospels he says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We are left with deep concern: Has he really been abandoned by God the Father? we wonder, or, has Jesus lost faith in God? However, we can be assured that God has not forgotten his Son; neither does Jesus stop believing in God. The two evangelists, probably Matthew copying Mark, see Jesus' complete loneliness in his death as part of the enormous price he paid to redeem the world. We know that as weak as we are, we can endure suffering with the support of our loved ones. Jesus had to endure horrific torture without any support at all.

You can see this abandonment from the beginning of the passion. In Gethsemane the first disciples sleep while Jesus is writhing on the ground. Then comes the disciple who has betrayed him. All the disciples abandon him, one of them leaving his only clothes behind!

In the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, Jesus' isolation grows. As if he were a blasphemer, the high priest tears his clothes before Jesus to signify his complete disgust with him. Then all the senior representatives of Israel spit on him and slap him. They mock Jesus as a false prophet when in truth he has predicted everything that happens to him. While suffering this abuse, Jesus knows that Peter, his vicar, is denying him. Although Pilate says that Jesus is innocent, he condemns him as a rebel. The Roman soldiers continue the sacrilege by breaking his skin with whips and mocking Jesus as a comic king.

Of course, loneliness reaches its maximum on the cross. Everyone makes fun of him, even the two men crucified with him. No disciple comes forward to offer support. Even the skies darken giving the impression that God has turned his back on him. At this moment Jesus utters the cry of total discouragement from him.

As Jesus expires, God shows that he has been with His son throughout the ordeal. The veil in the Temple is torn in two rendering the sanctuary useless for sacrifices. From now on the only sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins will be the memory of his death in the Eucharist. Even more impressively the centurion, an objective witness, proclaims: “Truly this man was the son of God,” the relation that Jesus claimed at his Jewish trial.

The suffering of Jesus in the Gospel of Saint Mark provokes various emotions within us. First, we feel admiration for all that Jesus suffered for us, even the sense of loss of intimacy with God the Father. It was more than could be expected from any other man. Second, we feel deeply grateful to him for doing so much for us. His death on the cross earned the forgiveness for our sins. Finally, we feel strengthened. We tell ourselves if my Savior suffered so much pain and isolation, I am ready to suffer too. There will be times when we will be fighting for what is right without much support. Possibly our own family and friends will criticize us for taking risks in defense of the truth. Then we can remember Jesus in this gospel of Saint Mark and continue fighting on.