Jerusalem of our Lives

Passion Sunday: Cycle C - April 10, 2022

Readings: Isaiah 50:4–7; Psalm 22:8–9, 17–20, 23–24; Philippians 2:6–11; Luke 22:14–23:56

(Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey)
To listen to my audio-video reflections on YouTube, please click on this link

The Holy Week is a decisive liturgical period, which brings about all that we have been reading, reflecting and celebrating at our liturgies, that is passion, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Spiritually rich this Holy Week is the ultimate week to enter deeper into the mystery of our faith experience. If we have followed Jesus in his birth, adulthood and public ministry and now is the time to be with him as he enters into the concrete and decisive plan of God which is nothing but redeeming humanity from the slavery of sin and clutches of evil. To achieve this goal, Jesus had to go through this early part of suffering culminating in the humiliating death on the cross between the two thieves.  Such a miserable life, Jesus goes through, perhaps the most agonizing and shameful death yet for us Christians it is a symbol of our redemption and glory of the call to follow him even in his cross. 

1. Jerusalem decides the fate of Jesus 

All through, Luke's Gospel, Jerusalem is the scene of the decisive life-and-death battle for Jesus, where Jesus confronts his enemies for the final time, where his mission will be decided once and for all. To be faithful to the Father's call, to bring about the Reign of God, Jesus has been moving toward Jerusalem, unavoidably, with steadfast determination, to meet his fate and face his destiny. Chapter by chapter, town by town, Jesus has been moving toward this showdown in Jerusalem. Today, as we enter Holy Week, the first Gospel reading begins: "Jesus proceeded on his way up to Jerusalem." Now we are invited to join in this procession, to walk with Jesus along the way, to move in solidarity with him, arm-in-arm with him, as he goes forward to this final, decisive confrontation.

Today the Gospel is very explicit: he is coming from the direction of Bethany and the Mount of Olive, therefore, coming from the East, the same direction as the sun rising on a new day. Using these subtle messages, the Gospel is telling us: A new day is dawning and old ways are going to be put aside. Death will no longer be the end of all life; success no longer the measure of human worth; power no longer in final control; violence no longer the way to deal with opposition. Jesus proceeds from the East on his journey to Jerusalem, bringing a new day and a new dawn, and we are walking with him.

2. Recalling to memory the historical event from the life of Jesus

We hear today the passion of our Lord according to St Luke. We began the Sunday liturgy with a special service that is the blessing of palms, and holding them in our hands we processed into the Church. It’s a form of liturgy that tries to imitate the event that occurred in Jerusalem 2000 years in the lives of Jews. An extraordinary event lived by Jesus and his disciples and also his mother, Mary. The passion reading has a detailed narrative description of things that happened soon after Jesus and his disciples had eaten Passover.  The feast of Passover is an event that recalls Israelites’ escape from Egypt and a safe passage through the Red Sea. For us, Christians, the same feast Passover has a different significance recalling Christ’s resurrection from death and giving us salvation. 

Even before Jesus was crucified many things happen. He is proclaimed as king of Jews and the exuberant joy of the poor disciples is short-lived. Jesus tells them how blessed are they to follow him as his disciples. He prepares them for the things they might not have imagined in their lives. Their own close friend, the disciple, Judas Iscariot sells his own master to enemies whom Jesus had called oftentimes ‘hypocrites’. At the trial of Jesus, two enemies become friends: Herod and Pilot. At the expense of Jesus, notorious murderer Barabbas is released, and one of the criminals who also was hanged received the eternal reward through Jesus. Until his crucifixion, Jesus continues his ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. There is no respite. 

Probably the passion narratives give us an impression that the powers of Jerusalem will be winners and Jesus the loser in this context. Each one of us has a "Jerusalem" that we have to enter and a "Jerusalem" where we will seem to be the losers. A Jerusalem of values and commitment to bringing the Reign of God are challenged and thwarted in our lives. A Jerusalem exists at our workplace, in our neighbourhood, in politics, in the classroom and academic world, and in our church too. 

3. Fixing our gaze on the Cross of Jesus and we move ahead

The passion story of Jesus should inspire us to imitate him. It must inspire us not to give up those things which would bring us closer to God in spite of the difficulties, trials, and tribulations we encounter with. God will continue to be with us when we think we are giving up. Often our life is a challenge, especially when we grow older, when we get into incurable diseases, when our closer ones suffer from terminal illnesses, when we see this world is crawling in front of us. As we continue to see the images of death and destruction in Ukraine, we too are like the disciples of Jesus experiencing powerlessness and fear. In front of hegemony and power, humanity is forgotten; before the logic of weapons, the logic of God has no place. In the midst of hope and despair, joy and grief there is a promise of salvation. A Christian does not have a moral code: a Christian follows a moral code.

Ordinary people's shouts of  “Crucify him,” played a significant role in Pilate's decision to refuse the death of the Cross to Jesus.  Again, the actions of ordinary people are instrumental in God’s plan. We must think carefully about our actions. Do they have a negative or a positive impact on the world around us? How do they help to bring about a world where all people have their fair share of the gifts that God gives? Perhaps sometimes we need to have the courage to act in a way that might require us to stand out from the crowd.

At this moment, we should not forget to look at Jesus, the crucified Christ. In our human sense, Jesus’ mission is a failure. Did he realize fully his vocation that we read in Luke’s gospel chapter 4, "The Lord has sent me to preach the good news?" Perhaps yes and perhaps no. We ask today for this grace that we may grow in courage to follow Christ when our life is taken over by something frightening, and that we may not lose sight of our vocation as a human person, created in the image of God. Let our suffering turn into strength in walking in the grace of God. Amen.

Questions for reflections:

1. Can you place yourself in this scene of the passion narrative of Jesus?
2. What is the image of Jesus that you have in your mind as you enter into the Holy Week?
3. In what ways, Jesus is calling you to follow him?
4. What does God need of us? What is it that God is asking of us in our lives?  

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you call me to live every aspect of my life in your presence, and so I come before you as I am. With the myrrh that the wise men carried I bring, too, the pain and sorrow and suffering that I have experienced. I lay them before you because they are all part of who I am. I ask that good may come from whatever negative things happen to me, knowing that nothing can ever separate me from your love. May my actions be for your glory and to bring about hope, peace and new life for all in our world.

Blessed Jesus, my Savior and Master, model of all perfection, I resolve — and will try this day with my full heart — to imitate Your example, to be like You: mild, humble, chaste, zealous, charitable, and kind. I will redouble my efforts to see Your image in all those I meet and deal with this day — not only people I like — and to be as helpful to them as I would be to You. I resolve to avoid this day all those sins which I have committed here before and which I now sincerely desire to give up forever. We make this prayer in Jesus' holy name. Amen. 

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

08 April 2022

PS: In recent days, I did a number of interventions in different forums on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

Here is a video of the talk given to the students of St Joseph's School CBSE, Bangalore: https://youtu.be/WppM0REYCXs