Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. The crowds threw palm branches and put their clothes on the road before Jesus, singing Hosanna. This shows their belief in Jesus as the king, the Messiah. However, he was going there to suffer greatly for our sins. That's why this Sunday is also called Passion Sunday.
We understand Jesus’ passion and death as the consequence of his long-lasting love for us. God cannot but love, no matter what happens. In his ministry, Jesus was rejected and criticized many times. He was really a sign of contradiction, as Simeon had foretold (see Lk 2:35). He even escaped death many times. He was the wanted one. Despite this, Jesus did not cease to love people even when he saw his death approaching. He did not run because his ministry to the kingdom of God prevented him from becoming a coward. He never ceased to show impartiality among people showing that we are all in God’s embrace. Even amid suffering, He remained faithful to God’s will to the end. He does not turn back in His trial. He gave Himself freely to His torturers, confident that, as He speaks in today’s First Reading, “The Lord God is My help... I shall not be put to shame.” His merciful love led him to give himself as the sacrifice of the cross.
What can we learn from Jesus in his salvific passion and death?
In our pilgrimage here on earth, we come to understand that the purpose of life is to live for others, not for ourselves. If we choose to live for others, consequences of our choice will ensue. Such consequences may bring gladdened or sadness, happiness or suffering, even death. We can ask ourselves: “Are we willing to accept the pain that our choice may cost us? Are we willing to risk our lives so that others may live? Are we willing to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, our model in loving until the end? In today’s gospel, Jesus is fulfilling what he had said:” There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn15:13).
We learned a lot when the Covid-19 pandemic was still claiming many lives and paralyzing the whole world. Countless of frontliners risked their lives while reaching out to those affected by the pandemic in different sectors of life. When some of them were losing their lives due to their compassionate choice to serve their brethren, we could see Jesus again suffering and dying for us, his people. Looking around us, we can still see Jesus, who is saving us now and here through suffering and death. We see this through people who cannot shut their mouths or close their arms in front of the suffering of others.
Among other examples, saint Oscar Romero, from Salvador, had been a faithful copy of Christ in his life. After becoming archbishop, he was confronted with the utter misery of the majority of the countrymen and women. As a Christian committed to life and justice, he could not remain silent. He knew that his sermons would probably lead to his execution, and yet, he remained committed to his people, expressing it in these unforgettable words:” if they kill me, I will rise in the Salvadorean people”. Later, he was killed.... Around us are the cries of the tortured, the slain, imprisoned, the raped, the poor, and victims of violent crimes. We can hear the voice of silent ones, illegal immigrants, the homeless, etc. What are we doing to speak out and take a stand against injustice in the world?
