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Dear Parishioners,
Today we cover more ground with Jesus than on any other Sunday. We begin with Jesus at Bethpage, preparing for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Once in the city, Jesus joins the disciples in the Upper Room for the Last Supper. Later, he awaits his fate in Gethsemane. After his arrest, he is taken to the high priest, then to the governor. Finally, he is scourged at the praetorium, crucified at Golgotha, and buried in the tomb.
On this circuitous journey from Bethpage to Golgotha, so much changes and so much is lost. Jesus goes from hailed hero to crucified criminal. He loses his status, his friends, and his dignity. His disciples face losses as well; they lose their courage, their leader, their sense of security. Jesus predicted his passion more than once, but never in specific terms. Neither the disciples nor Jesus himself knew exactly what it would take from them.
On our journey with Jesus through life, we, too, experience changes and loss. We often make sacrifices out of love for children and grandchildren, our parents, and other relations. We give to, and do for, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow parishioners. And we all experience loss living on this earth, some more than others.
Jesus is with us in our loss, and he knows what it means to sacrifice for love. He emptied himself, becoming human to be with us, to love us, and to show us how to love like him. He surrendered his hero status and humbled himself out of love, even to the point of accepting death as a crucified criminal.
In the face of loss, we can be like the disciples, or we can join in love with Jesus. At the Last Supper, the disciples denied that they would betray Jesus, or that their faith would be shaken. Still, they could not stay awake with him in Gethsemane, and they fled as soon as he was arrested, leaving the women alone at the cross and burial.
Unlike the disciples, Jesus does not flee. The sorrow and distress he exhibits in Gethsemane are real. He prays that his cup should pass, but ultimately, he accepts God’s will. He surrenders to his fate and all he is to lose. He does so out of obedience to his Father, and out of love for us.
Jesus’ passion is our passion too. We journey together through loss – never alone, but always united with him. In this Eucharist we recall the Last Supper and how he shares himself with us out of love. Gathered as one with him through this sacrament, we face together whatever losses may be.
Blessings,
Fr. Tad
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