Good Friday (A)

 

The Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) Year A

[Jn 18:1-19:42]

03.04.2026

The Passion and Glorious Death of Jesus

                                         Readings: (1) Is 52:13-53:13 (2) Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9

1.    Theme in brief:

Carrying our crosses out of love

2.    Focus Statement

Like Jesus, we too are called to complete our life’s mission by carrying our daily crosses willingly and in a composed manner out of love for God and humans, and in obedience to God’s will.

3.    Explanation of the text

Some of the salient features of John’s Passion Narrative prescribed for today’s liturgy are the following:

      The cross is the culmination of and the price Jesus pays for his saving deeds, such as compassion towards the sick, the hungry, the sinners and the outcasts. It is the climax of his ‘hour’ (that is, God’s appointed time) by which he glorifies the Father (12: 23).

    Jesus faces his suffering and death willingly (voluntarily) and in a composed manner. He lays down his life of his own accord out of love for humans (18:5-8, 11, 30), and also in total obedience to the mission entrusted to him by his Father. In the Garden of Kidron Valley, when they come to arrest him, he voluntarily submits himself into the hands of his enemies by openly revealing his identity twice as Jesus of Nazareth. If they are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, they should allow his disciples to go free (18.4-8). He tells Peter that he must drink the ‘cup’ of suffering that the Father has designed for him (18:11). At the end, when his ‘hour’ of death comes, he willingly gives up his spirit as an act of total self-surrender (19.30).

    Jesus walks the way of the cross up to Golgotha by carrying his cross “by himself” (all alone) without anybody’s help (like Simon of Cyrene’s, as the Synoptic Gospels tell us, 19:17).

     From the cross Jesus cries out: “I am thirsty” (19:28). He was thirsty not only physically, but also for the love of sinners like us, and for God’s love to be realized in us, given that John often indicates double meaning of certain words. He thirsts that the spirit of his selfless love, service and sacrifice may come on earth through his followers.

      By his agonizing death on the cross, Jesus demonstrates to the world that there cannot be greater love than this (15:13).

     As he is totally committed to his Father’s will, he remains faithful to it unto death, and by his death accomplishes the mission for which he is sent (19:30).

    Jesus dies at the very hour when the priests of Jerusalem’s Temple slaughter the lambs for Jewish Passover; hence, he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and from whose side gush blood and water (19:31-37), symbolizing the sacraments of Eucharist and baptism. 

4.    Application to life

Our reflections on Good Friday based on John’s passion narrative, are focussed on three loving invitations given by Jesus from the cross:

(1)  To repent or change our hearts:

Earlier in John’s gospel (3:14), Jesus invites us to experience a healing touch for the ‘poison’ of sin with which we are infected by fixing our gaze in faith at the Son of Man (Jesus) who must be “lifted up” – a technical word in Jn to refer to his crucifixion and glorification. Today, John’s passion narrative again invites us to experience God’s infinite love flowing from the cross of Christ. Cross is the proof of the Father’s boundless love for sinners like you and me, and for the broken world. It is the ultimate sign of God’s absolute love and generosity for us. In the light of John’s passion narrative, let us look up to the cross of Christ with eyes of faith and meditate on the price he paid to heal us from the poison of sin or all evil. God loved you, me and the whole world of sinners so much that he allowed his Son to die a criminal’s shameful death on the cross. He so loved us that he wanted to share with us his own life (called “eternal life” in Jn) by saving us through the cross of Christ (cf. 3:16-17). Was there no other way of saving us? Yes, there was. But we would not have got a shining example of somebody like us who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses and has been tested in every respect as we are (Heb 4:15). The loving gaze of Christ hanging on the cross with his tortured and blood-spattered body should remind us of the price his absolute love and total obedience to the Father’s will has paid. He proves that there cannot be any greater love than this (15:13). We hear a voice crying from the cross: “I love you this much! What more could I have done for you?” If this not enough to melt our hearts to repent for our and our world’s sins, what else can!

(2)  To imitate or imbibe his spirit of love and service:

Since John’s gospel insists that Jesus voluntarily embraced the cross, out of sheer love for humans, it is good to distinguish between the sufferings in our lives, which come without asking (like illness, natural calamities, death, etc.), and those which we voluntarily embrace in order to be faithful to the ministry of service to the needy and the suffering. The crucified and exalted Christ (as per John’s theology) invites us to embrace those crosses which come to us when we voluntarily undertake services motivated by his shining example. Those of us who are highly motivated and committed for the service of the poor, eradication of social evils, solidarity with the downtrodden and care of the outcasts and the rejected have to voluntarily embrace crosses of criticism, opposition, rejection, humiliation and intimidation. Are we willing to embrace these crosses willingly and help others to carry their crosses? Like Christ, who willingly ‘drank the cup’ of suffering the Father had given him, we need to suffer voluntarily (or take up our crosses willingly) out of love for those whom he ministered (18:11). Does this thought make us more sensitive to the sufferings of those people?

(3)  To accept our crosses in a composed manner and a spirit of self-surrender:

We may be surprised to notice a contradiction in terms at the title written above: “the passion and glorious death of Jesus”. How can the cruel and agonizing death he faced be ‘glorious?’ Unlike the synoptic gospels, John’s gospel presents Jesus entering into his Passion as a composed and glorious Messiah. His gospel minimizes the cruelty of his passion to show that he was in total control of his situation when his ‘hour’ had come, and approached his suffering and death in a composed manner. Thus, his passion narrative invites us to face our own sufferings in a composed manner like Christ and share his glory.

What are the crosses we need to accept in a composed manner? They are not made of wood. As per John’s passion narrative, they could come in the form of opposition and destructive criticism we face when we do deeds of mercy towards the needy, suffering, sinners, the poor and the outcasts; of rejection and ridicule we face when we voluntarily serve the needy out of love; of what we get when we stand firmly for certain moral principles and are faithful to our life’s purpose or mission; and of negative reaction when we stand for justice and truth. When we accept these crosses we undertake voluntary suffering for a cause and to fulfil a mission as Jesus did.

Let us think of other crosses too: persons we find difficult to live with; places that are dangerous and risky; and circumstances/ situations that cannot be changed in spite of hard efforts; situations that are absurd, frustrating, confusing, uncertain and the unexplainable; our powerlessness to change anything in spite of having all powers; and our loneliness in sickness and old age or lack of support from our own people. Sometimes we have to carry the cross of an incurable or lingering illness, a broken relationship with family members/ friends/ neighbours, a breakdown in marriage, a deep-rooted bad habit or addiction (personal or someone else’s in the family), an enmity with neighbours, a jobless situation, a loss of job and a sudden death in the family. Sometimes we may have to carry some of these crosses alone without any help or support from others as Christ had to do. These crosses lead to questions that haunt our minds now and then without an answer: “Why this particular thing should have happened to me...What wrong have I done…? Where is God….?”

Today, Christ reminds us about the price he paid to help us go through our own way of the cross and Golgathas so that the light of Easter may shine on us. He invites us to place all our smaller and bigger crosses at the foot of his cross and unite our suffering with his suffering and death. Though all of us know that suffering in any form is a part and parcel of human life, when it comes to us we find it difficult to accept it in a composed manner as Christ did. I still have vivid memories of sitting at the bedside of my sister for six days (that looked like one month) and helplessly watching her dying at such a young age due to the attack of deadly cancer. When I reached her bedside at the last moment (as I was working in a distant place), she saw me and wept bitterly unable to speak a word. Then she went into a coma which kept her hanging between life and death for six days. Though it was difficult to accept that loss at that time, it has taught me a lesson. That experience has made me more sensitive to other people's suffering than before, and to the depth of pain families go through when their near and dear ones die in terminal illnesses and tragic accidents. It has made me realize how vulnerable and limited we are, as human beings, and how dependent we are on God’s power. This realization should lead us to admit our powerlessness and surrender ourselves into God’s hands and say: “Do what you want with me.” When our faith-surrender leads to peace and serenity of mind we experience the glimpses of glory emerging from the cross as John’s gospel tells us. According to his gospel Jesus’ glorification takes place at his death itself.

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we voluntarily embrace those crosses which come to us when we voluntarily undertake services motivated by his shining example? Do we accept our crosses (especially those which come to us because of our voluntary service) in a composed manner and with surrender to God’s will, or grudgingly with a lot restlessness and complaints? What are our personal crosses and crosses of the world we would like to place at the foot of Christ’s cross and unite our suffering with his? Only when we accept our sufferings in faith and surrender to God’s will, our cross has a redemptive value. Today, during the most sorrowful liturgy of Good Friday, are we going to kiss the cross with this intention or just to fulfil a ritual?

6.    A prayer

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world. O Crucified Lord, we bow down before your Holy Cross in an act of thanksgiving for such a great price your absolute love has paid in order to save us. Today we bring all our personal crosses and the crosses of the suffering humanity in the world and place them at the foot of your holy cross. Give us the grace and strength to accept them lovingly and in a composed manner. We unite them with your suffering and death as an act of total surrender to your holy will.  Remain with us, and be our support and strength when our crosses become too heavy for us. Amen.  

Maundy Thursday (A)

 

Maundy Thursday Year A [Jn 13:1-15]

02.04.2026

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

Readings: (1) Ex 12:1-8.11-14 (2) 1 Cor 11:23-26

1.    Theme in brief:

Humble and sacrificial service

2.    Focus Statement

The Eucharist gives us spiritual energy to give ourselves totally in humble and sacrificial service of the needy that we may become worthy to have a share with Jesus and be his faithful disciples.

3.    Explanation of the text

By washing the feet of his disciples in the context of the Passover Meal – which is his Last Supper with his disciples – Jesus takes upon himself the role of a servant, since it is the duty of servants (literally, slaves) to wash the feet of their masters and guests. Here he presents the image of lowliest of servants as he stoops down to wash the feet of his disciples with a basin in hand and a towel around his waist (13:5). It is a sort of acted role-play to demonstrate his intention to render humble service to humanity unto death and thus accomplish his mission. The disciples are stunned at this act of humility and the reversal of roles with them. This humility of assuming a servant’s role symbolizes his ultimate act of humility and sacrificial love to be demonstrated on the cross. He wants to teach that the same love that he demonstrates by laying down his life on the cross should also be demonstrated by his disciples by laying down their lives in humble and sacrificial service.

Traditionally, the symbolic meaning of foot-washing done by Jesus is explained as an act of humility from his part. True. But in addition, it refers to his role of servanthood. A servant’s duty was, as per Jewish custom, to wash the feet of guests as they arrive for feasts and gatherings. Here Jesus stoops down like a servant to render a humble service as if they were his masters. This is clear from his explanation to Peter’s objection: “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (13:7). If it is a mere physical washing of feet, what is there to understand later on? Or if this action is meant only to teach a lesson in humility and service of a slave, even then what is there to understand later on? Anybody can understand a slave’s service on the spot. Experts tell us that the word “later” in this context refers to his sacrificial death on the cross. Jesus, in fact, says that only when he lays down his life on the cross, the disciples will understand how and to what extent they should serve out of love for one another. Thus Jesus gives the connotation of “service” to his entire ministry, including his passion and death.

When Peter objects, Jesus explains that washing his feet is a condition to have a share or part with him (13:8). To have a share (literally, inheritance) with Jesus is to have fellowship with him or to participate fully in his life, and to be his faithful disciples. For that the disciples themselves must be interiorly washed first with the water of baptism (13:8) and be willing to “wash one another’s feet” as their Lord and Teacher has done (13:14-15). Foot-washing is not to be taken literally, but to mean giving (or spending) one’s life totally in service. Through foot-washing he wants to demonstrate that service-mindedness is a requirement for discipleship. As Jesus’ body is given up (broken or sacrificed) for the service of humankind, the disciples also need to sacrifice their bodily energies for others’ service, making it a sacrificial service.

4.    Application to life

John’s gospel has no narrative of the institution of the Eucharist. Instead, we have the episode of washing of disciples’ feet by Jesus during his Last Supper with his disciples. Why did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples? The traditional answer is to humble himself. Though this answer is true, there is a further or deeper meaning in this symbolic act. In it we get the image of a servant stooping down to wash the feet of his disciples. A servant symbolizes not only humility but also service rendered to the master. Since Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper and the first three gospels tell us that he instituted the Eucharist during it, we can find a close relationship between the Eucharist and foot-washing. From what is explained above, it is clear that foot-washing symbolizes Jesus’ supreme act of service rendered to humanity by his sacrificial death on the cross. The Eucharist is a memorial of the total self-gift of Jesus given to us as a result of his humble service that reaches its climax at his sacrificial death on the cross. As he told his disciples he tells us: If you want to have a share with me, or if you want to be my faithful disciple, you too should also stoop down to “wash one another’s feet” (that is, humbly serve one another).

Not only John, but also the synoptic gospels take Jesus’ sacrificial death as his greatest act of service rendered to humanity. Take for example, in Mk 10:45 Jesus says: “The Son of Man came not be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many” (or to redeem many people). Giving one’s life refers to death. In Lk 22:19, Jesus says at the Last Supper, “This is my body, which is given for you’’, and “Do this in remembrance of me”. In other words, “This is my body which is given for your service”. Jesus was a man for others. During the Last Supper he gives us a spiritual nourishment (namely, the Holy Eucharist) to be men and women not for ourselves but for others. By washing the feet of his disciples in the context of the institution of the Eucharist, he wants to tell us that his body is broken and blood is shed for our service. Hence, we too must ‘break our bodies’ and ‘shed our blood’ (that is, spend ourselves) for the service of others. The Eucharist, if taken in this spirit, gives us spiritual energy to ‘break our bodies’ and ‘shed our blood’ to serve others with commitment and devotion.

What is service then? It mainly implies self-giving or giving one’s life for the welfare of others which includes a sharing of time, talents, goods, resources, knowledge, speech, and energies for the good or welfare of others. Service and sacrifice are interrelated; no service, no sacrifice and vice versa. “Do this in my memory” is the same as do this in memory of my sacrificial service. Hence, whenever we hear these words during Holy Mass, we are reminded that our bodies (i.e., energies, talents, time, activities, etc.) need to be given or sacrificed for the service of others. Today we need to ask ourselves whether we receive the Eucharist as a spiritual energy to give ourselves in service, or just as a routine, or just for our psychological satisfaction.

The word Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word ‘mandatum’ (= commandment). It refers to the commandment given by Jesus at the Last Supper to love one another as he has loved us (Jn 13:34 and 15:12). It is also a command to serve others like a humble servant by sacrificing one’s own life for others. Jesus’ admonition to his disciples “You also must wash one another’s feet” (Jn 13:14) is the same as, “love one another as I have loved you” (15:12),  or serve one another as I have served you to the point of laying down my life on the cross.

There are two types of services which we render: (1) those which we have to render out of compulsion, like our daily work/job/duty and household chores; and (2) those which we willingly and voluntarily take up out of love for the good of those who are in need of our love. Do we involve ourselves in the latter type of services? Like Jesus, are we willing to stoop down to heal, care, serve, reconcile, forgive and comfort those who are in need of this sort of services? Do we actively look for opportunities for this sort of service in our own little ways? Even a word of comfort/ consolation/ assurance in favour of the needy and the suffering is a matter of service. The Lord whom we encounter in the Eucharist is encountered among such people. It is by “washing the feet” of such people (that is, by serving them) that we live our Eucharistic experience in the sacrament.

Today, let us examine and see whether we, who receive the Eucharist regularly, are affected or influenced by Christ’s way of thinking about rendering service in our society and the Church, or by world’s way of thinking:

Ø  Though jobs are called “service’’ in the secular world, many people consider their jobs as a means only for earning money, not for the service of humanity or society or for nation building. What about you?

Ø  People are respected and their services are valued highly if they bring plenty of money. For example, in many third world countries, the service rendered by working women as nurses and teachers is valued higher than that of so many mothers at home who teach and nurse their children day and night, only because they are not paid for it. How about you?

Ø  There is a tendency in quite a number of people to escape from occasions to render service including leadership roles in the society and the Church, if there is no monitory or prestige reward. Is it true about you?

Ø  We observe many people wanting to escape from common work and meetings and refusing to share their time, talents, knowledge and energies within their own community. Do you do so?

Ø  We also see people wasting a lot of time in gossiping, loitering around, playing cards, fiddling with mobile phones and watching TV for hours after hours, instead of using some of that time for social or community service. Do you sacrifice your time for common service?

There is a tendency in many of us to receive the Eucharist for personal and private spiritual benefits only and dissociate it from concrete deeds of service. Normally, after receiving the Holy Communion during the Mass, we are accustomed to thank the Lord privately who comes into our hearts in the form of Sacred Bread and pray to him for a while. Many of us may be praying only for personal favours from the Lord or for our own spiritual advancement. Besides these, today’s gospel-message reminds us to pray to the Eucharistic Lord to energize us to do works of mercy or concrete deeds of service as he demonstrated by washing of the feet of his disciples.

We can choose any one or two of the following works of mercy: to share our food and drink with the hungry; to volunteer for serving drinking water in public places/ functions/ gatherings/ celebrations; to give away our clothes/ utensils/ furniture/ equipments/ gadgets to the poor or the needy; to share our space/ place/ facilities with the poor for resting in between their work or for conducting classes/ coaching/ meetings/ gathering of the poor; to visit the sick in houses/ hospitals; to visit the elderly senior citizens at their homes or in the Homes for the Aged; to comfort and pray for the sick; to take proper care of the sick; to donate blood to the poor patients; to visit the houses of persons arrested by the police or put in prison; to spend time in praying for a departed person and to console the bereaved family; to visit such bereaved families some time after the funeral to console them and to pray with them. Only when we connect the Eucharist with works of mercy and service, it becomes the Bread that gives life and love to the world (not only to us).

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we involve in any voluntary service? Like Jesus, are we willing to stoop down to serve the needy without any appointment or compulsion? Do we join any social service group or association, or totally keep ourselves confined only to our homes? At home also, do we expect others to serve us at our beck and call, or equally contribute to the total welfare of the family? What type of service do we routinely render to family and society, and what we do not, though they need it very much? Is reception of the Eucharist only a custom to be followed routinely, or a reminder (memorial) of Christ’s service rendered to humanity which culminated in his sacrificial death on the cross? Do we take it as spiritual nourishment given by Jesus to serve like him? Does Eucharist energize and send us to spend our energies, talents, time and resources for the service of others?

6.    A prayer

Lord Jesus, for our sake, you became a humble servant to the extent of sacrificing your life on the cross. You were a man for others. Thank you for giving us such wonderful spiritual nourishment in the Eucharist to be men and women for others. Thank you for giving us spiritual energy through the Eucharist to serve others. Grant that with this energy we may ‘break our bodies’ and ‘shed our blood’ by sharing our time, talents, goods, knowledge, speech and energies with the needy, not out of compulsion, but out of love. As we meet you as our Lord and Master in the Eucharist, grant that we may meet you also among the poor and the needy through our service to them.  Amen.

 

Palm and Passion Sunday (A)

 

Palm and Passion Sunday

 [Mt 21:1-11] + [Mt 26:14 - 27:66]

29.03.2026

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and His Passion and Death

Readings: (1) Is 50:4-7 (2) Phil 2:6-11

1.    Theme in brief:

Our life’s triumph and passion

2.    Focus Statement

Today’s two-in-one liturgy of Palm and Passion Sunday presents to us two contradictory aspects of Jesus’ ministry as well as our own lives: his moments of triumph and pain, of glory and suffering of the kind he underwent at Jerusalem – utter loneliness, total rejection, betrayal, humiliation, physical and mental agony and a terrible death.

3.    Explanation of the text

Here are some of the salient features of Matthew’s narrative of Jesus’ passion in which we can very well identify our own human condition as well as the condition of so many other people in the world:

(a) Jesus’ mental agony as he prays at Gethsemane during which he feels mentally broken, “agitated” and “deeply grieved” with sorrow “even to death” with the thought of such a terribe suffering he will have to undergo (26:37-38);

(b) his initial wish that if possible his Father could take away the cup of suffering from him, but later his obedient submission to God’s will that he suffer and die with the words, “Not what I want but what you want” (26:39), while his disciples fail to comfort him as they  fall asleep (26:40);

(c)  his betrayal by Judas, one of his own disciples with a kiss, out of greed for money (26:49 &15), but whom he addresses as “friend” (26:50);

(d)  his desertion (abandonment) by his own disciples at the time of crisis (26:31);

(e) his mock trial and sentencing to death by the Sanhedrin (that is, Jewish religious court) on fictitious charges that he wanted to destroy the temple (26:61) and was guilty of blasphemy (26:65);

(f)   Peter's dramatic  and pathetic denial that he ever knew Jesus by cursing and swearing an oath (26:74) due to his cowardice when he comes under pressure from servant-girls and bystanders;

(g) Judas’ suicide by hanging himself after realizing his sin of “betraying innocent blood” (27:4), and the scruple of chief priests and the elders not to take the blood money either for themselves or for the temple’s treasury (27:6);

(h)  the consistent manipulation of the Roman Governor (Pilate) by chief priests and the elders to get Jesus sentenced to death, again under fabricated or misinterpreted charges;

(i)  Pilate’s finding him innocent which was further confirmed by a dream of his wife (27:19);

(j)    Pilate’s plan to release him by offering the crowd an alternative – a notorious prisoner called Barabbas which eventually backfired (27:16-17 & 21);

(k) the crowd’s demand for crucifixion (27:23) and Pilate’s decision to allow it under pressure from the crowd and fear of a riot breaking out (27:24 &26);

(l)  humiliation and insults done to Jesus by stripping his clothes and giving him a mock robe, crown of thorns and sceptre (reed) in his hand, spitting on him, striking him on the head with that reed and crucifying him in the midst of two bandits (27:28-35 & 38);

(m) ridicule and insults by passers-by, chief priests, scribes and elders as well as by the bandits on his sides (27:39-44);

(n)  his feelings of being forsaken not only by all near and dear ones but even by God himself (27:46) and his death with a loud voice (27:50).

More than other evangelists, Matthew cites again and again the fulfilment of a series of OT prophecies and sayings throughout his passion narrative. For him the passion is a route planned and willed by God to fulfil his saving mission for which he was born (Mt 1:21) and was faithful to the end.

4.    Application to life

Today’s two-in-one liturgy of Palm and Passion Sunday presents to us two contradictory aspects of our lives: joys and sorrows, triumph and pain. The two gospel readings – first one about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21:1-11) and the second one about his agonizing passion (26:14 – 27:66) are two sides of the same ‘coin’ (or life). We have our moments of joy, triumph and victory: when we are successful and elated; we are well settled in life; everything sails smoothly; the winds blow certainly in our favour; we get what we desire; our wishes are fulfilled; our jobs are secure; people close to us love us to our heart’s content; and our good health is our greatest wealth. There are also times when people acclaim, applaud, praise, honour and encourage us. This is like singing hosannas to us as people did to Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.

Then there is the other side of the coin – our moments of sorrows and agonizing passion. There are times when we go through what Jesus went through in Jerusalem: betrayal, denial, indifference, mockery, loneliness, rejection, false accusation, unjust treatment, insults, humiliation, mental and physical agony, torture and shameful death as described in the explanation of the passion narrative above. What a consolation and encouragement to know that Jesus bore all the suffering and evil which we human beings undergo and to believe that he is with us whenever these things happen to us.

 All the salient features of Matthew’s passion narrative enumerated above are a part of our lives and the lives of so many people in the world around us, such as – the mental agony and agitation we undergo in moments of crisis; the struggle we face while accepting suffering or trials and submitting ourselves to God’s will; the betrayal of a spouse due to infidelity or divorce; the loneliness faced by married partners due to clash of interests or separation, by the sick and the aged who have nobody to take care of them, by the priests and religious who feel sometimes betrayed by the same people whom they serve, by young people who sometimes feel betrayed by those whom they love; the greed of people for money (like Judas) which leads to overexploitation of natural resources and corruption in public places; the desertion of friends and sometimes even by one’s own children during sickness, calamity and old age; unjust trial by neighbours, friends and colleagues on suspicious and fictitious charges; denial of justice and fair treatment by opponents, friends and even family members; unjust treatment and victimization by some people under pressure from the public or pressure groups; manipulation of the authorities by people of vested interests for their advantage; persecution of the innocent people for no fault of theirs; allowing the innocent to suffer due to fear of one’s own position and under public pressure; undergoing humiliation, public ridicule and insults for standing firm on moral principles or for taking the side of the powerless (especially by honest people in public life); and the agony of feeling abandoned or forsaken by one’s own near and dear ones and sometimes even by God in times of suffering and adversity.

Who among us has not experienced at least one of the above-mentioned facts either in one’s own life or in the life of one’s near and dear ones or friends and neighbours? Jesus took upon himself our human condition in every respect. Therefore, as St. Paul says, today we are “bending our knees,” “confessing with our tongues” and praising the holy name of Jesus “above every name” (cf. Phil 2:9-11). We are singing hosanna to him with palm branches in our hands because he walks with us not only in our happy journey but also in our sorrowful journey to ‘Jerusalem.’ Yes, we too have our ‘Palm Sundays’ and ‘Passion Sundays.’ That is why Jesus becomes a source of life to be lived here and hereafter for all who obey and follow him (cf. Heb 5:9).

Today’s two-in-one liturgy is applicable to our life in another way also. The two parts of the liturgy represent our own faithfulness to Christ and his values on the one hand and unfaithfulness on the other hand. On the one hand we sing “Glory to God in the highest” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest” (21:9) in prayer and worship, but on the other hand there are moments when we have been unfaithful and disobedient disciples by living a life unworthy of our Christian vocation. We have lived a life of worldliness or worldly ways, opposed to the way of Christ we promised to live at baptism.  The world shuns the way of the cross and proposes the way of vanity, pride, achievement, power and wealth as the only things that matter. In spite of allurements of the world, we are inspired by the example of so many of our ordinary Christian brothers and sisters who remain faithful to Christ, and make sacrifices to serve the sick, the disabled, the needy quietly and silently. There are believers in various parts of the world who put their lives at risk for the sake of their faith and undergo persecution. They endure terrible discrimination and daily intimidation because of their faith.

At the same time, today’s liturgy reminds us about the other side of the coin, that is, moments of our unfaithfulness to the Lord. It is easy to be part of the crowd during important liturgical celebrations like this…. The same Peter who said he is willing to die denied him a few hours later. The same crowd who shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” (21:9) on the way to Jerusalem might have shouted “crucify him, crucify him.” Though we attend church and say our prayers, there are moments when we ‘crucify’ Jesus in real life by living a life contrary to his teachings and example. In us also we notice traces of the bad character of various personalities in the passion narrative. For instance, there are times when we condemn and harshly judge the innocent like Pilate; deny Jesus by our evil or corrupt ways like Peter; betray him for personal gains and selfish purposes like Judas; desert him by living a life of alienation from him and totally rejecting his teachings like the disciples; etc.

Today’s procession by holding palm branches in our hands is a sign that we are willing to walk with Jesus in both his passion and in his triumph. Though the word ‘passion’ here refers to Jesus’ suffering, in English language it also means a strong feeling or commitment for something. Jesus had so much passion for life, truth, justice and service to the needy that he had to pay the price of his Passion, and sacrifice his life for these values by dying a shameful death. If we try to imitate the same passion which he had, it may also lead us to our own ‘passion’ and cross of opposition, criticism, insult, rejection, or even fear of suspension from job, threat to life, etc. The question is whether we are willing to take up these crosses and walk with him to ‘Jerusalem,’ or evade these crosses totally by taking a comfortable position. Jesus went knowingly to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Maybe we do not want to go where we know there will be suffering and crosses.

5.    Response to God's Word

How do we respond in faith to the above-mentioned predicament and situations of our lives faced by Jesus during his passion: positively or negatively; with faith or doubt in God’s goodness? What are the unchristian and ungodly ways by which we ‘crucify’ our Lord again and again? Does Jesus’ powerful example and identification in every human condition become a source of grace and strength for us? Do we have a passion for life, truth, justice and service to the needy as Jesus had? Are we willing to take up the cross of opposition, criticism, insult, rejection and walk with him to ‘Jerusalem?’ Are we faithful to our divinely ordained mission as Jesus was, and are we ready to fulfil it till the end?

6.    A prayer

Blessed are you, Jesus, who come in the name of the Lord God. Hosanna to you. Though you were in the form of God, you did not cling to your heavenly position, but emptied yourself to become one like us in every respect, even to humiliating and shameful death on a cross. Be a source of powerful example, grace and strength for us when we have to face what you faced in your passion. Amen.