Palm Sunday
Michael McCarthy
It must have been an extraordinary sight—this relatively unknown man from Nazareth entering Jerusalem on a donkey, all around him huge crowds cheering him and waving palms. But what were these people celebrating? Was it Jesus the orator, Jesus the magician, the man of the people—someone with the common touch. In truth it was probably all of these things and more. For Jesus represented hope, and clearly the craving for hope was as strong then and it is now. What must those same people have thought as they left Golgotha that first Good Friday afternoon? Hope personified was now hope crucified. Death had won and its sting hurt.
So we enter holy week and with it a rich and remarkable journey unfolds—mankind is put to the test and human frailty is on full display. Unlike that first Holy Week, we as Christians are blessed with the knowledge of the resurrection. However I sometimes wonder whether that knowledge is really a blessing or curse. For there is a great danger of becoming complacent Christians. Jesus didn’t die as a sacrificial gift to mankind; he was actually throwing down a gauntlet. In dying for our sins he wasn’t wiping the slate clean; he was raising the stakes.
I relish the Lenten journey and the challenge of Holy Week but I must confess that I struggle with Easter Sunday. I do not doubt the glory of the resurrection and I do not doubt that Jesus died for our sins. For me the doubt lies in whether I truly deserve it. How have I shaped my life to meet the challenge of his sacrifice?
Lent has given us time to ponder and time to react. Holy Week is the time for consolidation and the time for preparation. Soon we will be bathed again in the light of the risen Christ. Our challenge is to identify our responsibilities as Christians and to embrace them unconditionally…Christ embraces us unconditionally.