Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Palm Sunday 28 March 2010 Sermon

Palm Sunday (second Sunday of Passiontide) 28 March 2010

The Liturgy today comes in two stages. The first is the re-living of the welcome given to Our Lord as He entered Jerusalem. That first welcome was genuine but lacking in depth. As we re-enact it we want our welcome to be just as enthusiastic as the original one but more enduring. We resolve to be faithful to Him at all times (for which we need His help).

The second stage is the commemoration of Our Lord's Passion and Death. We can 'welcome' Him in this action as well, by showing our solidarity with Him.

If we are to be His disciples we must be prepared to do as He did. If He died then we must be willing to die with or for Him.

Above all we must not be ashamed to stand with Him, at the foot of the Cross, even if it means we take some share of abuse for being there.

We 'welcome' His death insofar as we show our understanding of it, our sympathy with it, and best of all we let it transform us.

We don't like suffering but over time we can develop the capacity to suffer in the cause of love. We become willing to suffer if it is necessary to make His love known to others.We could never do this just by our own strength but as we receive His love from the Cross we become stronger and more generous.

May this be so for each of us in this coming Holy Week.

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