This weekend we are celebrating two events. Firstly Palm
Sunday, commemorating the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem and, secondly, the
Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The official title for these two celebrations
is Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.
Personally I have always found it a great pity that in the liturgical reforms
these two were lumped together. It has always given me the feeling that justice
isn’t being done to either event and that the whole thing becomes
rushed. I much preferred the way it was, i.e. Palm Sunday on the 2nd
Sunday before Easter and Passion Sunday the Sunday before Easter. Anyway we
have to deal with what we have got.
Magnificat has
a special issue for Holy Week and in his reflection on Palm-Passion Sunday the Cistercian monk Fr
Simeon writes, “….why exactly is it that suffering should
bring about redemption”.
He suggests to expand the meaning of suffering
from simply “undergoing pain” to include “the willing activation of all the
passions of the soul”, intended to put love in the place of the beloved’s
refusal to love. Christ redeems us because he passionately embraces our
rejection of him with a love unto death, and he will not let go of us”.
Let our
intention be not to let go of him who on Palm Sunday of the Passion fulfilled
the will of his Father and thereby fulfilled his mission. With his grace our
mission is possible too. Have a fruitful celebration of Holy Week.
Fr Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.
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