When the hour came,
Jesus took his place at table with the apostles.
He said to them,
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,
for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again
until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said,
“Take this and share it among yourselves;
for I tell you that from this time on
I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the kingdom of God comes.”
Then he took the bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
“This is my body, which will be given for you;
do this in memory of me.”
And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
which will be shed for you.-Luke 22:14-36
Palm Sunday Reflection
“What is written about me is coming to fulfillment,” Jesus says
in today’s Gospel. Indeed, we have reached the climax of the
liturgical year, the highest peak of salvation history, when all
that has been anticipated and promised is to be fulfilled.
By the close of today’s long Gospel, the work of our redemption
will have been accomplished, the New Covenant will be written
in the blood of His broken body hanging on the Cross at
the place called the Skull.
In His Passion, Jesus is “counted among the wicked,” as
Isaiah had foretold (see Isaiah 53:12). He is revealed definitively
as the Suffering Servant the prophet announced, the
long-awaited Messiah whose words of obedience and faith
ring out in today’s First Reading and Psalm.
The taunts and torments we hear in these two readings
punctuate the Gospel as Jesus is beaten and mocked, as His
hands and feet are pierced (see Isaiah 53:5), as enemies gamble
for His clothes (see Psalm 22:17–19), and as three times
they dare Him to prove His divinity by saving Himself from
suffering (compare Matthew 27:40; Mark 15:30).
He remains faithful to God’s will to the end; He does not
turn back in His trial. He gives Himself freely to His torturers,
confident in the words Isaiah prophesied in today’s First
Reading:
“The Lord God is my help . . . I shall not be put to shame.”
Destined to sin and death as children of Adam’s disobedience,
we have been set free for holiness and life by Christ’s
perfect obedience to the Father’s will (see Romans 5:12–21;
Ephesians 2:1–5; 5:1–2, 6). This is why God greatly exalted
Him. This is why we have salvation in His name.
Following His example of humble obedience in the trials
and crosses of our lives, we know we will never be forsaken,
that one day we, like the good thief, will be with Him in paradise.
What happened to Jesus’ soul after He breathed His last?
Where did it go? According to our creed, He descended to the dead.
Surely it would have been unfair of God to condemn
everyone who lived before Jesus—even those who knew God
and lived as they should—just because they were born when
they were. By His descent into the realm of the dead, Jesus
in a sense proclaims the Gospel to the souls of the just,
leading them to paradise.
“In his human soul united to his divine person,
the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead.
He opened heaven’s gates for the just who had gone before him.”
(CCC 637)
Public authority figures did not behave well during Jesus’ trial
and Crucifixion. This shouldn’t turn us against all political
leaders, though. When leaders lead well, they truly collaborate
with God.
It’s good to remind ourselves occasionally that,
even though authority can be abused, it is a part of God’s plan
and can in fact be very helpful.
“The political community and public authority are based on
human nature and therefore . . . belong to an order established
by God.” (GS 74 § 3, CCC 1920)
Reflect On Today’s Gospel
How might I grow toward being as forgiving as Jesus,
or at least closer to His example of forgiveness?
Jesus is mocked. In some ways we may never out-
grow the temptation to make fun of people. If I
have a tendency to mock anyone in my community,
how can I stop and make amends for this hurtful
behavior?
Closing Prayer
St. Mary Magdalene, you remained close to Jesus
and His mother during His darkest hour. Pray
for me, that my worship of Jesus and devotion
to the Blessed Virgin Mary will strengthen me in
times of trial and will lead me, finally, to paradise.
Amen.
Image: https://unsplash.com/photos/person-holding-green-leaf-plant-21dR8Lj97eA
