Sunday, April 13, 2014

Palm Sunday, Cycle A

MATTHEW 21:1-11
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, BEFORE VATICAN II, BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY WHICH IS USED FOR THE MOST PART BY THE CATHOLIC AND MANY PROTESTANT CHURCHES, WE CELEBRATED PASSION SUNDAY ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, AND PALM SUNDAY ON THE SIXTH. IN 1970 THE TWO SUNDAYS WERE COMBINED. BEFORE THAT, PASSION SUNDAY MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE “PASSIONTIDE” SEASON – NOT QUITE LENT, BUT MAYBE A MORE INTENSE VERSION. EVEN THE WEEKDAY READINGS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE PASSION OF CHRIST, OR PREDICTIONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT OF HIS SUFFERING. IT WAS ON PASSION SUNDAY THAT THE STATUES AND PICTURES AND CRUCIFIXES WERE DRAPED IN PURPLE, TO BE COVERED FOR A FULL TWO WEEKS. THEN ON PALM SUNDAY WE HAD A LITURGY MUCH LIKE TODAY'S. THE FIRST READING WAS THE GOSPEL TALKING ABOUT JESUS' TRIUMPHANT ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM; AND THEN DURING THE MASS ITSELF, THE PASSION OF MATTHEW WAS READ.
THE EMPHASIS DURING THOSE TWO WEEKS, UP UNTIL EASTER SUNDAY, WAS ON THE SUFFERING AND DEATH OF JESUS. WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO FORGET THAT JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS. AND I HAD A POWERFUL IMAGINATION. I KNEW MY SINS. I TEASED MY SISTER UNMERCIFULLY. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I DIDN'T DO WHAT MY MOTHER TOLD ME TO DO. WHEN I WOULD GO TO CONFESSION, I WOULD CAREFULLY LIST ALL THE TIMES I HAD DONE SOMETHING THAT I CONSIDERED A SIN, KNOWING THAT IF I FORGOT ONE OF THEM, I WOULD HAVE MADE A BAD CONFESSION, WHICH IN ITSELF WAS A SERIOUS SIN. AND GOD STOOD THERE LOOKING AT ME WITH HIS ARMS FOLDED, WAITING FOR ME TO SLIP UP, AND REMINDING ME THAT THE TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS JESUS WAS UNDERGOING WERE MY FAULT, ALL MY FAULT.
BUT WE MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN WE IMAGINE GOD AS A BIGGER, MORE POWERFUL, SMARTER VERSION OF OURSELVES; SOMEONE WHO WOULD SADISTICALLY TORTURE US IN HELL IF HIS SON DIDN'T OFFER TO TAKE THE PUNISHMENT ON HIS OWN SHOULDERS. THE WORST OF US MIGHT DO THAT; THE WORST OF US MIGHT DEMAND THAT SOMEONE WHO OFFENDED US BE MADE TO PAY THE LAST PENNY. THE WORST OF US MIGHT TAKE DELIGHT IN THE SUFFERINGS OF SOMEONE SO THAT NOT ONLY DO WE GET EVEN, WE GET EVEN MORE EVEN. BUT THAT IS NOT WHO GOD IS.
WE OFTEN FORGET, IT IS NOT GOD WHO IS UP THERE IN HEAVEN SCOWLING DOWN ON US, WATCHING JESUS BREATH HIS LAST BREATH. NO, IT IS GOD WHO IS HANGING ON THE CROSS. THERE IS GOD, WHO KNOWS YOUR SINS AND MINE; HE KNOWS ABOUT ALL MY SINS, LITTLE ONES, MIDDLE ONES, REALLY BIG ONES. HE KNOWS THAT I AM NOT AS SORRY AS I COULD BE FOR COMMITTING THEM; AFTER ALL, IF THEY ARE SINS, I HAD TO DO THEM KNOWINGLY, AND AT THE TIME I DID THEM, THERE WAS SOMETHING AWFULLY ATTRACTIVE ABOUT WHAT I WAS ABOUT TO DO. AND MAYBE EVEN LONG AFTER RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION, LONG AFTER I'VE GOTTEN OLDER AND WISER, I CAN LOOK BACK ON THAT SIN AND STILL SEE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THERE THAT I WANTED, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT IF THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE THE SAME, I WOULDN'T FALL AGAIN? I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE A FIRM PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT, THE INTENTION TO NOT DO THAT SIN I CONFESSED. BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT THE SAME THINGS KEEP POPPING UP IN THE CONFESSIONAL. AND JESUS KNOWS THAT.
JESUS KNOWS THAT IF I HAD BEEN THERE DURING THE PASSION, I MIGHT WELL HAVE DENIED HIM, LIKE PETER; I MIGHT WELL HAVE TURNED MY BACK AND IGNORED THE WHOLE THING, LIKE MANY IN THE CROWD. I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ONE OF THOSE YELLING FOR HIS BLOOD, OR LAUGHING AT HIS NAKEDNESS AS HE HUNG ON THE CROSS. AFTER ALL, THOSE WERE ORDINARY PEOPLE, NOT REALLY DIFFERENT THAN YOU AND I. MANY WERE CONVINCED THAT HE WAS A CRIMINAL – AFTER ALL, THE ROMANS AND THE JEWISH LEADERS SAID SO -- AND HE DID NOT DESERVE TO LIVE.
IT IS GOD WHO HANGS ON THE CROSS, GOD WHO JUDGES EACH OF US, GOD WHO WITH PERFECT JUSTICE ASSIGNS THE PENANCE WE DESERVE FOR OUR SINS – AND THEN FORGIVES US, TOTALLY, COMPLETELY, SO MUCH SO THAT HE DIES, CARRYING WITH HIM INTO DEATH MY SINS AND THE PUNISHMENT THOSE SINS DESERVE. THAT IS THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS. IT IS ABOUT A GOD WHO BECAME ONE OF US, WHO EMPTIED HIMSELF OUT SO THAT HE COULD TAKE OUR SINS UPON HIMSELF, SO THAT HE COULD EVEN GO INTO THE GRAVE WITH US, BECAUSE HIS LOVE EXTENDS EVEN THERE. GRACE IS NOT BEING DISPENSED FROM ABOVE LIKE ZEUS WITH LIGHTNING BOLTS; GRACE IS COMING FROM THE BROKEN FRAGILE WORLD WE LIVE IN, WHICH IS THE SAME WORLD THAT JESUS ENTERS IN TO.
THE PALMS WE HOLD REMIND US THAT EACH OF US HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WELCOMING JESUS INTO JERUSALEM, DANCING, SINGING, THROWING OUR CLOAKS ON THE GROUND, WAVING PALMS IN THE AIR. AND THEY REMIND US THAT BEFORE THE PALMS HAVE EVEN STARTED TO TURN BROWN AND STIFF, WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE IN THE CROWD THAT CALLS FOR HIS DEATH, FOR HIS CRUCIFIXION – THAT SHOUT, “AWAY WITH HIM!”. AND IF WE TAKE OUR PALM HOME AND PLACE IT BEHIND A CRUCIFIX, WHICH IS WHAT WE DID WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, WE ARE ALWAYS REMINDED THAT WE CAN GO EITHER WAY – WELCOMING JESUS INTO OUR LIVES OR SHOUTING “AWAY WITH HIM!” MAY THE PALM ALSO BE A REMINDER FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR THAT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT GOD, WE THINK ABOUT THE CROSS – BECAUSE THAT IS GOD ON THE CROSS, GOD WHO SAYS, “FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.”