Passion Sunday

Reflection

The readings today, if we can manage to persevere through their admittedly notable length, are breathtaking in their attestation to the illimitable depths of the love Our God has for us. Before Mass even begins, we hear in the Procession a joyful proclamation: “Behold, your king comes to you.” We have a King Who comes to us, Who—we learn in the Responsorial Psalm—is willing to go even to the very limits of God-forsakenness to draw us back home to Himself. Christ comes to each of us, emptying Himself and uniting Himself so fully to us that He actually becomes one of us, “taking the form of a slave” (Phil 2:7). This is the God of the entire universe we’re talking about!

But He doesn’t stop there; He not only meets us where we are at, in the mire of our sin and suffering, but He takes it upon Himself, enduring the shame and torture of the Cross in order to lift us out of it—even while being mocked by the very people He died for! The love of Our Lord is so overwhelming that He accepts not only the pain of His suffering and death, but also the disdain and mockery of the soldiers, the passersby, the chief priests with the scribes and elders…even the two revolutionaries who were crucified alongside Him! He not only died at the hands of those He loved, but with their laughter and ridicule ringing in His ears.

This, Lord, is the depth of Your love for me: that I would reject You, scorn You, and still You love me with such ferocity that You die for me. You meet my sin, my betrayal, my rejection, even my derision and contempt, with the greatest tenderness and mercy…as I pound nails deep into Your hands and feet, as I blindly fall into step with the crowds around me who chant for Your crucifixion, as I fold to the pressure of a world demanding that I wash my hands of You—still you love me, give Your very life for me. I abandon You again and again, but You never abandon me. Such a love is unfathomable; yet You call me to imitate You in it…today’s readings call us on to meet that challenge, and to ask for and accept the grace to share in the fiery love of our crucified God.

Prayer

Lord, You looked into the faces of those reviling you, contorted by their sneering hatred, and You met their hardness of heart with eyes of love. Teach me, my God, to love like You—You Who were mocked and murdered by Your beloved. May I learn to empty myself as You did, and to live boldly the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Is 50:5; Phil 2:7, 11). Amen.

Miriam Prischet, ‘18

Scripture

Procession Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7

Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11

Gospel: Matthew 26:14—27:66

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website