Palm Sunday (Mt. 26;14-27:66) “What Am I Willing to Do for Jesus?
Palm Sunday (Mt. 26;14-27:66) “What Am I Willing to Do for Jesus?”
During Holy Week we read the four songs of the suffering servant from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. We read one of them today in our first lesson. A controversy revolves around these songs. And that debate concerns who the suffering servant is.
Jews would hold that the suffering servant represents the nation of Israel. The servant songs were written at the time of the Babylonian exile. The people of Israel were taken captives. After that they were enslaved in Babylon for 70 years. The people of Israel held on to their faith tenaciously. Many gave up their faith to fit into their new environment. Others held on to their faith tenaciously. Many stories are told of the heroes and heroines who risked death to practice their Jewish faith.
The Jewish heroes did this willingly so their faith might be passed on to the next generation. The Jews suffered humiliation upon humiliation. Some were killed. Others suffered in silence. But they were willing to make these sacrifices. Remaining faithful was the all-important thing.
Christians hold that the suffering servant was one of prophetic descriptions of the coming Messiah. The servant leader was the savior we follow named Jesus. Christians see predictions of Jesus’ coming throughout the Old Testament. Some Christians would say that Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophesies in his earthly ministry.
None of those prophesies sound more like Jesus than the Song of the suffering servant. Jesus willingly dies out of love for others. Death on the cross was meant to humiliate a criminal. The execution of someone in such a way was a way to make a public example of them. The question we ponder is why did Jesus die in such a way?
The ancients had two ideas of what a hero might be. The first type of heroes are the people who were winners, military leaders who have triumphed in battle. Such leaders were considered God like. In Rome, at the time of Christ, when a general won a great victory, the Roman Senate would often grant that general what they called a triumph. The general would ride through the streets in his chariot wearing a laurel crown. He would wear a purple, gold embroidered toga. His face would be painted red which identified him with Jupiter, the God of war. His army would march behind him followed by his captives and the booty. He would go to Jupiter’s temple to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
The second type of hero the Jews might expect was the suffering servant whose entrance is described in Zechariah 9:9. “shout for joy oh daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he. Meek and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.” The prophesy mirrors the songs of the suffering servant. The hero described is not a person of violence, but one who suffers vicariously for the people.
Obviously, Jesus was that second type of hero. He came to be a martyr for Justice. The pattern of his heroism has been imitated throughout history. We can think of someone like Blessed Ritilio Grande who died in El Salvador in 1977. At that time there was a war between the oligarchs of El Salvador and guerrillas who wanted to overthrow them. Fr. Ritilio taught the poor they had human dignity through bible study. He organized base communities that worked for social change. He was armed with only the word of God.
Grande had a feeling the Bible would become such a threat that it would be outlawed. As his words became stronger, he was more at risk. Finally, as he was driving to lead devotions near his parish in Aguilares, his vehicle was sprayed with bullets from local police. He and two companions died. He laid down his life, like Jesus, attempting to liberate others.
The suffering servant is still seen today in all those who sacrifice themselves for the needs of others. As we begin this holy week, we are challenged once again to reflect on what kind of savior we worship and how we might imitate him in the big and small sacrifices of our daily life. When we give ourselves away, we show what passionate love is.
Reflection Questions:
Does vicarious suffering make sense? Have I experienced it?
How might I keep Holy Week well? What is my plan for the week?
Dear Parishioners,
I would like to thank all those who helped with the Holy Week services. This is always a large undertaking. All the ministries must pull together. I would especially like to thank the parish staff who had to put in extra time to recruit ministers to make special worship aids, etc.
The parish owes a great debt to Sandy Carlsten who is leading our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. We had ten adults who wanted to enter the church this year. This is a larger group than we have had in the recent past. Each person had their own unique story as to why they wanted to join the church. Debbie Patronagio, our Director of Religious Education, also had a big job. We had thirteen children who received sacraments at the Easter vigil. These children each were receiving the Sacraments of Initiation. There were children of every age. This makes things complicated as each child demands special attention. I thank Sandy and Debbie’s catechists as well.
Finally, I would like to thank the presbyters of our parish. Fr. Matthew, Deacon Matthew and Deacon Mike were essential in our ability to have a reverent Easter celebration. We are so lucky to have all of them.
Easter is truly a time to rejoice in the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. We realize that we have been given the gift of eternal life. This influences how we look at life. Christians always live with an underlying joy. May that joy last throughout the Easter season and beyond.
Blessings,
Fr. Mark