To be humble... to be free

Listening to the Spirit

Lord God,
I give you thanks, for you are good, and your mercy is endless.
Here I stand, at the start of this holy week,
This week in which your church remembers Jesus’ passion and death,
And I am distracted by many things.
Turn my eyes now to the One who comes in your name
The one who opens the gates of righteousness
The one who answers when we call.
I bless you, Lord, for shining your light upon me,
And for sending your son to us, in human frailty.
To walk the road we walk.
Open my eyes that I may see him coming,
And may praise him with a pure heart.
And may walk in the way of his suffering,
And share also in his resurrection.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Amen.

Listening to the Word

Luke 23, 4-12

Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, "I find this man not guilty." But they were adamant and said, "He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here."

On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at length, but he gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing him harshly. Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate.

Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly.

Reflection

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the opening of the Holy Week, the epilogue of Jesus’ life. We know that he was condemned to death because he chose to be according to the WILL of the Father: a righteous and honest man. In the current situation, it seems that HONESTY and RIGHTEOUSNESS are not important attitudes for our society. But, they are precious and essential in the eyes of God.

There is another important characteristic of Jesus that emerges from the Gospel above: his HUMBLENESS. How could Jesus stand in front of the disrespectful attitude of Herod? “Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate.”. He was humble because he was a free man. For us to be HUMBLE, to be FREE, we need to know what is going on within ourselves, in our hearts, in our minds. To be humble means to have a strong will and to be aware of our weaknesses.

Palm Sunday reminds us our spiritual and human journey: the need to become humble and free women and men able to stand and having hope in God, who never fails to be faithful with us, despite humiliations, being excluded and threatened.

God, make us aware of our limitations, weaknesses, and sins so that we can become humble like your Beloved Son.

Reflection Questions

What are the circumstances that make me feel lost and sad?

Is there any episode that I experienced being humiliated? Could you recall the circumstances?

Have you never experienced what Saint Francis of Assisi called “Perfecta Laetitia”? One day, it was raining heavily, Francis went to one of his convents and it happened to him that the confrere did not recognize him and he was sent away brutally. Despite that rejection, he could experience a deep joy in his heart. That was “Perfecta Laetitia”. He understood that his heart was humble and free.