Palm Sunday

Who doesn’t love a parade? So much coming together to prepare (Luke 19: 28-40), to celebrate an event or accomplishment with colour, singing and cheering. In ancient times parades also included the use of palms to prepare the way for those being celebrated and loud Hosannas rang out. Palm branches, which symbolized goodness, wellbeing, grandeur, steadfastness and/or victory, were strewn before the celebrated persons. And so it was fitting that after all the wonders of Jesus’ public life he was welcomed to Jerusalem in exactly that manner.     

This Palm Sunday the readings drawn me to journey with the apostles. (Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 22: 14, 23-56)

They must have been so excited and engaged as they witnessed Jesus’ amazing welcome. Suddenly they would have been in a daze - things started to change in frightening ways. Over the Passover dinner Jesus tells them how eager He was to eat this Passover with them before He “suffers”. He invites them to take bread and wine “in memory” of Him. What did He mean “suffer” and where was He going? Jesus asks them to become servants and then confers on them a kingdom like the one his Father conferred on him. Servants, really? What kingdom? They were told Satan would sift them, but Jesus prayed their faith would not fail. Peter, ever the man of action, confirmed his faith by saying he would go to prison or die for Jesus. Quickly he heard the prediction from Jesus that he would in fact deny Jesus three times. Then Judas who was found to be planning to betray Jesus left the dinner only to return later to hand Jesus over for persecution. And then the unthinkable happened, Jesus was led away, tortured, and crucified. All of this happened within two days. No wonder they ran away, no wonder they were frightened. They had no time to process, to think through their responses and no time to pray. They had no idea how the story ended but we do.

Sadly, stories of injustice, persecution and death abound today. As apostles, how do we respond? Running away, putting heads in the sand or hiding the truth are not options for those of faith. Finding strength in faith, in communion with others and through compassionate action is where I hope to find myself.

How about you?

-Maureen Condon

Header Image: Unsplash/Brooke Lark

The Beginning of the End of Lent -- and Perhaps of Violence

As we enter into the final two weeks of Lent, I reflect on how different this penitential season has been for me this year. Our world has experienced climate disasters, two years of the pandemic, the turbulence of war in Ukraine, and insurrections elsewhere. We are tired. We are aware of our inability to control the natural or human forces which cause immense suffering. We seek answers, relief, and reasons for hope. Lent is a time in which we reflect on Jesus’ life, his teachings, how people either followed or sought to destroy him, his ignominious crucifixion, and victory over death. Lent for me this year has been a time for pondering how my beliefs and values are expressed in the choices I make each day. 

The scriptural readings for this fifth Sunday of Lent are a source of wisdom as we confront fears about malignant powers beyond our control and choose the values that govern our actions. The Prophet Isaiah uses extravagant images to describe the powerful actions of God “who makes a path through mighty waters and quenches an army like a wick”. God bids us forget former things; He is about to do a new thing – create rivers in the desert “to give drink to my chosen people”. (Isaiah 43. 16-21). The psalmist reminds us that “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy”. With confidence, the psalmist prays: “Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the desert of the Negev”(Psalm 126).  Paul, the former persecutor of Christians, tells us that for the surpassing value of knowing Jesus he has suffered the loss of all things and considers them rubbish. He proclaims: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. . . . forgetting what lies behind.  and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus”.

““I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. . . . forgetting what lies behind.  and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus”.”

image: unsplash/Prateek Gautam

We have no simple solution to the problems in our troubled world or a clever way to overcome the powers of malevolent dictators. Nor will a mere human explanation satisfy our human desire to know why such evils exist. Like Job, we are to live in the confident knowledge that there is an answer but it is beyond our human comprehension. The scriptural readings on this fifth Sunday of Lent do not teach us how to fix the ills of this time. Rather we must learn that indeed much in our lives is beyond our control.   Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees who demand that he judge a woman caught in adultery (John 8.1-11) evoked an unexpected response.  The story uncovers treachery and exposes the devious motives underlying “pious” actions. Each of us is capable of blindly behaving like the hypocritical Pharisees.  When confronted with truth, the Pharisees walked away in silence. Sitting contemplatively with this story and applying it to ourselves will bring light to the truth underlying our actions; we have a choice to accept or evade this truth. The story reveals the compassion, forgiveness, and love of Jesus for each of us, and teaches us how we are to live in our relationships with each other.

The invasion of Ukraine and violent actions of governments or partisan factions are not remedied by more of the same. It is time to listen to unwelcome truths within ourselves and to search for wisdom in the teachings of Christianity and other great religions.

Sister Pat McKeon, csj

A Lenten Moment

Restless, during a morning meditation this Lent, a poignant memory popped into my reflection and changed my prayer.  In my younger years as a guidance counselor, I sometimes visited a classroom to deliver a message or speak to a student.  One morning, as I quietly opened the door to the woodworking class, I was taken aback by the hush in the room and the alluring scent of sawdust and wood shavings as the students went calmly about their projects.

In the centre of the classroom, clamped to a large table, stood a life-sized, maple cross made in the workshop and destined to have a permanent place in the school’s front entrance.  As I surveyed the peaceful scene, a young student wearing his white shirt and dark pants quietly walked to the large cross, put his back to it and measured himself upon it.  He paused for a short time and silently walked back to his work.  Only I witnessed the moving experience and was awed and overcome with love. As is often the case, so much of what one feels is left unspoken.

Image: Unsplash/Aaron Burden

As my mind returned to my meditation, the long-ago memory provided a deep grace in my day.  How blessed were those students to have that old rugged cross in their midst during those Lenten days.  I’m sure the young fellow was not the only one who had deep thoughts about Jesus and the meaning of life.

Looking back over my years in education, I was blessed to be among thousands of young people making their way through the academic grades. I am proud of our Catholic education system that imparts scriptural knowledge and moral values in an atmosphere of peace and kindness.  Today, I pray for the amazing youth in our schools and for the fresh-faced young people in Russia and Ukraine who neither asked for a war nor ever dreamed they would be called to serve. I hope we are able, like that young student years ago, to measure ourselves against the cross - and have it steady us.

 -Sister Jean Moylan, csj