A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (# 19)
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year C
BIBLE READINGS
The March 2004 issue of Reader’s Digest contains an exclusive interview with Mel Gibson, the producer and director of the controversial film, “The Passion of the Christ”. To Peggy Noonan’s question, what “The Passion” means, Mel Gibson answered: “Passion. It’s about obsessive love. It was the whole point of Christ’s incarnation – God becoming man. The purpose of the sacrifice was to expiate the transgressions of all mankind. I believe that, and billions of others do too. These are the testimonies from the gospels, and they speak of love. They speak of ransom, and of complete forgetting of self, for the sake of all others, which is really the height of heroism. He became a whipping boy so that we have a chance – because, you know, we can’t make it on our own.” The film, “The Passion of the Christ” is the most powerful and evocative religious film I have ever seen. I went to see it not as an ordinary media consumer, but as a believer. The brutally raw depiction of the scourging and crucifixion of the Christ made me weep for my sins. The film’s graphic images of Christ’s sufferings enabled me to experience more intensely the reality of Isaiah’s prophecy on the suffering Servant of Yahweh: “Ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried … He was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed” (Is 53:4-6). This epic film helped me appreciate the importance of the Lord’s passion and the necessity of celebrating it in our life as Christians. Indeed, the heart of Christian celebration is the paschal mystery of Christ: his passion and death, which led to his resurrection and glorification.
The Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion introduces us into Holy Week and the celebration of the “Feast of feasts” - the Easter Triduum of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. The ritual commemoration of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of this Sunday’s Mass is geared toward the Paschal Mystery. Christ entered in triumph into his own city to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again. According to the authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 2: “The entrance of Jesus, the Messiah-King, into the holy city prophetically anticipates his paschal triumph and his entry into heavenly glory, into which the multitude of his disciples follow him. It also suggests what weapons he will employ to conquer the enemy: soon, the humble Savior will walk carrying his cross on the other side of the hill.”
The evangelist Luke’s account of the messianic entry (cf. Lk 19:28-40) depicts the peaceful character of Jesus’ kingship. Riding on a “colt”, the coming of Jesus evokes the prophecy: “See now, your king comes to you; he is victorious, he is triumphant, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech 9:9). The Messiah is to be a “humble” and peaceable ruler who would bring about the fulfillment of God’s kingdom by his life-giving death on the cross. Renouncing the military panoply of historic kings, Jesus rode on an animal “on which no one has ever sat” (Lk 19:30). This minor detail indicates the quasi-consecrated character of the young animal mounted by Jesus and implies that the one to ride it would himself be a person consecrated to sacrifice. The messianic king riding on the colt “on which no one has ever sat” is Jesus of Nazareth, entering Jerusalem for his paschal sacrifice that would bring redemption to all.
Luke narrates that as Jesus rode along, “the people were spreading their cloaks on the road” (Lk 19:36). This symbolic gesture is a sign of royal welcome. It recalls the way the armies of Israel greeted the news that Jehu had been made a king (cf. 2 Kgs 9:13). From Luke’s perspective of discipleship, however, the action of spreading the cloaks on the road has a deeper meaning. The biblical scholar, Robert Karris explains: “Instead of palms, Luke mentions the use of person’s costliest piece of clothing. True to his theme of rich and poor, Luke describes people’s response to Jesus the king by means of the use of their possessions. All one has is at the disposal of one’s king.”
When Jesus was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole group of disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top their voice for “the mighty deeds they had seen” (Lk 19:37). According to Robert Karris: “This is a summary statement of Jesus’ ministry to the blind, lame, crippled, and poor in fulfillment of Scripture; it shows that Jesus’ kingly rule is over the enemies of peace – sickness, demons, death. Also, Jesus’ previous ministry is now linked to King Jesus, whose kingly rule of glory for outcasts will now be shown through suffering.”
The ecstatic proclamation of the crowd of disciples avowed the royal character of the one approaching and the object of their blessing: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord” (Lk 19:38a). Acclaimed as “the king who comes in the name of the Lord”, Jesus would retain the gentle character and faithfulness of the “anawim”, the poor of Yahweh, even through the paschal experience that he would endure in Jerusalem. The crowd’s acclamation also underlined the motives for his coming: “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Lk 19:38b). Evoking the song of the angels at his birth (cf. Lk 2:14), the joyful acclamation indicates that Jesus’ entire messianic ministry is to bring heaven’s gift of peace to men and women, and thus, give glory to God. Robert Karris remarks: “If ‘in heaven’ is a surrogate for ‘God’, the meaning may be that the impending death of Jesus is that event which will create peace between alienated humanity and God.”
The joyful acclamation of the crowd at the Lord’s entrance in Jerusalem would attain its utmost significance in the paschal event of his passion and death on the cross. Jesus became truly “the king who comes in the name of the Lord” when he brought to fulfillment the kingdom ministry by his sacrificial obedience to the Father’s saving will. Crucified with him on Mount Calvary was the repentant criminal who prayed to him: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). The response of Jesus evinced his pastoral and life-giving mission as the messianic King-Shepherd: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43). Jesus thus became the King of his repentant heart and led him to Paradise. The last words that Jesus King uttered to any person on earth before he breathed forth his Spirit to the Father were words of love, compassion and forgiveness.
Robert Karris reflects on the significance of Jesus Savior’s promise of Paradise to the good thief: “This rich image encompasses the return to original creation, the eating of the fruit of the tree of life, and fellowship with the righteous. The gates of Paradise have been reopened by the obedience and faith of the New Adam.”
Are we ready to participate actively and meaningfully in the Church’s celebration of Christ’s Paschal Mystery? Are we willing to unite our own lives with the passion of Christ and his glorification?
As we commemorate the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem, do we wish to honor him as the triumphant King who has a claim on all that we are, on all that we possess, and on all that we do?
Are we disposed to pray to Christ with a contrite heart: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42).
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Lord Jesus,
increase the faith of your people
and listen to our humble prayers.
Today we honor you as our triumphant King
by carrying the branches
that indicate our true worship of you.
Today we spread our precious “cloaks” before you.
All that we are,
all that we possess,
and all that we do
we offer them to you.
Assembly: “Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom.”
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42).
ACTION PLAN: Read meditatively the Passion Narrative according to St. Luke, after this, make a personal prayer before the crucifix.
ACTION PLAN: If you have not done it yet, watch Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ” toward a deeper insight and more incisive experience of the Lord’s Passion.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
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Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
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