Reflection:
Palm Sunday is also called Passion Sunday – two different names for the same occasion – because this Sunday begins with a festive atmosphere of Jesus’ royal entry into Jerusalem. However, soon, the festivities would give way to the harsh realities of life. All the evangelists speak of the Passion and death of Jesus but narrate them in different ways and through diverse perspectives. Each evangelist then puts in elements that underscore some aspects as their own. Despite the violence and injustices, Jesus does not seek self-defence. He rejects violence even for self-defence. He admonishes Peter and others for taking up weapons. Two thousand years later, the cry of the Lord against violence and abuse of power remains more relevant for our society. Pope Francis during his return flight from Malta last week, decried the human atrocities committed in the war-torn regions of Ukraine and Russia. The Pope said, “War is always an act of inhuman cruelty that goes against the human spirit; I do not say, Christian, [I say] human. They are no more guided by the human spirit but by the spirit of Cain, the murderer; the “Cainist” spirit said the Pope. The Pope dismissed the concept of ‘Just War.’ “Every war stems from injustice, always, because that is the pattern of war. For example, making investments to buy weapons. Some people say: ‘But we need them to defend ourselves.’ This is the pattern of war. We are standing at the great portico of the Holy Week. From here, we accompany the Lord to the moment of his death. The miserable pain and absurdity of torture and killing, is the opportunity for God to proclaim his love for all people in the most solemn way. We walk with him from his entry to Jerusalem on a donkey while some poor people shout and wave olive branches, to the moment of the Cross, abandoned even by his own. It is here, He signs with his blood the new treaty with humanity. Luke began his Gospel with Jesus manifesting himself to the shepherds who were the last, the despised, and the unclean of Israel. Then he spent his public life as a friend of tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes. And at the end, he is among those condemned to die; those he most loved: the sinners. He was crucified with two men who had done it all wrong in their lives. When he returns to the Father, he takes along a representative of the people he served: a sinner regained by his love. Our job requirements may keep us tied up, but would we find some time to walk with Jesus and see him in the pains and tears of people?