Just before this Holy Week I watched and listened to the French pianist Hélène Grimaud play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor.1 [1] According to the program Notes, Mozart did not write many works in minor tonalities, but those that he did were particularly impactful.
Grimaud said they “provide a glimpse behind the mask of jollity [cheerfulness] that surrounds many of his famous works.” The Notes added: “this particular concerto is a symbolic representation of an encounter with fate, where drama and tragedy meet, and an apt reminder that not all is as it seems.”
During this Christian Holy Week we track the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and explore more deeply why his story of victory over evil is still so compelling. The three-act drama ofthe Triduum reveals that, as a human family, not all is as it seems. Beneath whatever cheeriness [jollity] we might enjoy, we are hurting inside.
Christians maintain that Jesus of Nazareth “died to save us from our sins.” But, the endless sinful clash between good and evil continues to damage dreams of happiness and peace. Greg Boyle SJ offered a positive way to deal with sin. He wrote Jesus is “calling us to joy.”2 [2]
In this light, the words of ethicist Reinhold Niebuhr’s prayer is a moral summons that can help remove the masks that cover up jubilation: “God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”3 [3]
The days of Holy Week are clarion calls to change what should be changed. That’s what Jesus set out to do. It is easy to think that the Triduum is just about the final days of the Jewish prophet from Galilee. It bluntly reminds us that sorrow and joy in the world are inseparable and it is our responsibility to make things better. What can be gained by his death is our concern.
The first act, Holy Thursday, is about relationships. Aware of his imminent death Jesus got together with close friends for a simple supper. He surprised everyone as he washed their feet. Then at table, knowing he was about to die, he explained the symbolism of the unleavened bread of affliction and freedom (see Deuteronomy 16:3). He did the same with the cup of redemption (see Jeremiah 31:32). Jesus identified with the bread as his fractured body and the wine as his spewed blood. He invited the women and men in the room to carry on his mission in his memory.
The liturgy of the eucharist is a powerful reminder that Christians are united in a unique relationship not only with Christ but with each other. We leave the liturgy nourished by word and sacrament to feed those who are hungry for liberty, to wash and heal their bodies, to mend the hearts and minds wounded by war and other injustices.
Behind the celebration of Easter is the gruesome second act, Good Friday. Jesus died an excruciating death on a wooden crossbeam. During liturgy worshipers take turns carrying a large cross to show that all Christians are called to reveal the meaning of the cross to the world.
Other groups mark the way of the cross in city streets stopping at various stations — court houses, shelters, super markets, jails, banks, food pantries. The presence of the cross is a reminder that not that not all is as it seems. Not all people enjoy even basic equities; chances to advance.
The cross Jesus died on is a tree of life, a cue that working for justice can bear good fruit. The continual presence of a cross in many houses of worship reminds us of our weighty responsibility to move forward, advancing the human rights of all. In the words of Pope Francis: “may we not let ourselves be robbed of the hope of a new humanity, of new heavens and a new earth.”
The climatic act in the holy week, Easter Sunday, celebrates the raising of Jesus from the dead. It provides impetus to repair a distressed world. Biblical interpreter Walter Brueggemann called the resurrection “the ultimate energizing for the new future … for the disinherited.”
Like those who first saw the empty tomb we are buoyed up by the constancy of the soul of the Human One that did not die. That Spirit continues to live on in those who embrace his ministry. Easter is not about one person being raised up from the dead. It is a raising up of all people with a fresh ray of joy and hope because not all is as it seems.
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1 With the Camerata Salzburg at Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg
2 Boyle, Gregory. The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness (NY: Avid Reader Press, 2021) 184
3 The original 1932 quote reads “… things that should be changed” rather than “…things that can be changed.”
In June 2002, seven Roman Catholic women were ordained to the priesthood by two bishops on a boat floating on the Danube River in the presence of hundreds of spectators. Their ordinations broke with two millennia of Catholic tradition prohibiting women priests and started a global movement. Post-ordination, the women priests were excommunicated by the Vatican, yet they still identify as Catholic priests. We explored the central tension of being insiders/outsiders by examining womenpriests’ claims to authority. The thematic analysis of interviews with over one hundred womenpriests and bishops led us to note an emerging theme in their language regarding claims to authority. In this analysis, we asked: how do womenpriests claim authority in ways that differentiate them from Roman Catholic Church authority as well as in ways that clearly position them within the tradition? We found four main strategies by which they make these claims: reclaiming the history and tradition of the early church; claiming the role of the magisterium; embodying authority; and community-based sources of power and authority. We concluded that the womenpriests are engaged in a delicate choreography of the dance of dissent, positioning themselves as the change some people may want to see in Catholicism while remaining true to Catholic roots and rituals.
Below are some meditations I wrote for a Mothers’ Union service last year looking at the Passion of Christ through the eyes of the women who were there. Feel free to use these or adapt them for your own setting.
Reading 1: Mark 14.1-9
It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, ‘Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’
While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, ‘Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.’ And they scolded her. But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’
Meditation on Mary who anoints Jesus
Recently, every time I have been with Jesus, I have heard him talk about his death. He seems to be so sure that something bad is going to happen soon. The other disciples, especially the men, keep trying to brush what Jesus is saying under the carpet – they don’t want to believe it’s true. They are trying to make out that Jesus is using a fancy metaphor again. I don’t think he is using a metaphor, I believe him. You see, everything Jesus says is so compelling, and he has done so much for me. So last night I decided to accept the truth, that Jesus is going to die. I wanted to find a way to thank Jesus for everything he has done for me. He’s the only man who has ever spoken to me as if I were important, and who’s been interested in what I have had to say – he almost treated me as if I were a man. In my small home I have had a precious gift, hidden in the corner chest that was given to me – a pint of pure nard, the most expensive perfume one can buy. I was saving it as part of my dowry, but now I am a little older, I don’t think marriage is going to come to me. So I decided to anoint Jesus with this very perfume as a sign of gratitude for what he has done for me. I went into Simon the leper’s home as the men were reclining over dinner and poured the perfume on Jesus, the smell filled the entire house. It was beautiful. For a single moment, no one said a word, and it felt as if Jesus and I were alone in that place. Then the silence was shattered as the men started to push me around again, like they usually do and complain that I had wasted something so precious. Jesus put out his arm to protect me and stopped the men. He said that what I had done was beautiful. My reaction though was no, Lord, what you have done for me is more beautiful than I could ever express – you showed love for me when no one else did.
Reading 2: Mark 14:12-16
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’ So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
Meditation on the women who prepare the Passover meal
Passover is my favourite time of the year, it’s busy, yes and sometimes I dread it, what with all the relatives visiting and trying to make sure everything cooks on time. Cleaning the house of all the yeast is a big job, thank goodness I have my daughters Leah and Dinah to help me now with that job! This year has been very different. We have been in Jerusalem with my sons James and John who have come into the city with Jesus, the great rabbi. Being in the big city we knew that we would be in a different place for our Passover Seder this year. I was nervous because I always find it difficult using someone else’s oven for baking and someone else’s pots and pans. The boys came to me and Mary and took us to a room that had been made ready for Jesus to share the Passover with his disciples. We had to go there in secret. The atmosphere in Jerusalem is tense, the Romans always get a bit heavy handed at festival time – more people are out drinking than usual and causing trouble – and of course, the city is full of people, every house is full of guests. When we came into Jerusalem on Sunday, Jesus was riding on a donkey’s colt, his feet were almost scraping the ground, it did look quite funny! But it was supposed to, Jesus was making fun of the way the Roman rulers ride so triumphantly into the city at this time of year – Jesus was showing how false that way of leading is. So we laughed and cheered and threw palm branches in his way and sang the old song of praise ‘hosanna to the Son of David’. You can imagine what the Roman guards made of that! So we are having to be very careful not to draw too much attention to ourselves. It would be such a disaster if we could not celebrate the Passover together. So I’ve managed to slow cook the lamb, we have the bitter herbs and my very special recipe of charoset – the honey mix that looks like the cement the Hebrew slaves had to use to build the pyramids – it has a secret ingredient! Now I’m toasting the matzoh bread, the unleavened bread ready for Jesus to bless and we’ve filled the cups with wine. As the oldest woman here, I will have the honour of kindling the Passover lights at the beginning of our meal this evening and saying the prayers. Something tells me that this night is going to be extra special.
Reading 3: Mark 15.25-47
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’ And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’
There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.
Meditation on Mary standing at the cross
I’m the other Mary, not Jesus’ mother Mary, but her good friend and I’ve been here in Jerusalem with her and Salome, James and John’s mother in this most terrible week. I feel hollowed out after what I have seen today, for so many reasons. Jesus, the one whom we thought had come to save us all, the one who we know came from God, was brutally crucified today outside the city on the rubbish dump. The smell was unbearable, rotting food, sweat, blood, animal dung, the flies were all around and the sun was relentless, not a cloud in the sky to give us any welcome shade. What was perhaps more unbearable for us was that the men left us, they couldn’t stay to watch Jesus die, to watch all their hopes and dreams die, so they fled, probably back to the secret room we cooked the Passover in. So it was just me and those of us women who loved Jesus so much that stayed. We couldn’t leave him, we couldn’t leave him all alone as he died that terrible death. We cried and moaned as we saw him tortured by those Romans and clung to each other as we stood a little way off. We prayed but it felt like praying to a brick wall. It was so desolate. Even after noon the sun suddenly grew dark, it went cold, as if a light had just been extinguished.
My heart broke to see it, and broke to be there with Mary his mother at that moment. I will stay here for as long as I’m needed, Mary needs me now, I will try and be strong for her. I’ve brought the spices and together with Salome we will lovingly lay out Jesus’ body. He cared so much for us in life, this is a small thing we can do for him in death.
Welcome and Theme (Dennis): The word ‘hosanna’ is often sung with joy and glee on this day. The waving palm branches, makes it feels like a celebration. But the truth is, the word ‘hosanna’ actually means, “save us.” The people along that parade route so many years ago were crying out to Jesus for help, because they knew—this world is not as it should be. There is still too much hurt here. They were crying, “Save us!” As we listen to today’s readings, do we hear the hosannas directed at us? Are we being called to follow Jesus, stepping beyond our egos into a transformed life of service and love? What role can we play in making the world a more loving, just place, and a world with less pain and hurt?
Opening Prayer (Margaret):
Loving God, you fill all things with a fulness and hope that we can never comprehend. Thank you for leading us into a time where more of reality is being unveiled for us all to see.
We pray that you will take away our natural temptation of cynicism, denial, fear and despair. Help us have the courage to awaken a greater truth, greater humility and greater care for one another. Amen (adapted from Richard Rohr)
Opening Song:Jerusalem, My Destiny by Rory Cooney, performed by St. Vincent’s Choir, Solo by Dennis McDonald
A reading from Rev. Hank Galganowicz (adapted by Dennis for this liturgy)
The language and tone of Lent address the ego, known in traditional language as our ‘sinful nature.’ According to traditional Christian theology, Jesus died to ‘save’ us from our inherently depraved nature inherited from Adam & Eve, because we can’t do it for ourselves. For the sake of biblical and religious literacy, we need to acknowledge a disclaimer.
The extended gospel read on Palm Sunday, is called the Passion Narrative It is the mythological story of the suffering, or passion, of Jesus. It is half of the core story of Christian faith, the other half being the Resurrection. The two parts of this story are our foundational myth. Like most foundational myths, most of the content is not literally true. The myth and the theology do not come from Jesus himself; they are made up about him after the fact. It doesn’t mean it isn’t true on mythological levels, just not literally. What’s foundational is the myth, not the event.
The cross was not God’s idea. God is love; love does not kill, love does not condemn.
God does not demand the death of his beloved son. God does not require blood as payment for love. That is the ego’s deluded craziness; not God’s idea, but ours.
Jesus did not have to die as part of some cosmic theological plan. He didn’t die ‘for’ us, nor on ‘our behalf,’ to save us from God’s supposed anger or wrath. We didn’t need to be saved from anything, because we didn’t do anything, and God wasn’t angry with us.
Jesus didn’t have to die; it’s more like he chose to. Not that he liked the idea of dying, not that he preferred to. The normal reflex responses in his circumstances are to fight or flee, to save life and limb. He did neither. Instead, he bravely faced his suffering and death – stood in the middle of it – trusting in the love of God to see him through.
The point is not to suffer. God does not want us to suffer more. We are not made holier by feeling sentimentally guilty over Jesus’ death. The point is not to suffer: the point is to love…. which is what he died for. What he did was show us what we can do. That we’re capable of doing what he did …. because… we are like him.
The recurring question is, are we following the Spirit or ego?
Keeping our hearts open doesn’t mean we won’t die, figuratively and literally. It doesn’t mean we won’t hurt. Our egos will die; we will have to surrender them. But, like Jesus, in the midst of Gethsemane and our crosses – who trusted that nothing could separate him from the love of God, and that the loving presence of God enfolded and embraced him – we can follow his example and be taken through our suffering and death to another side. Suffering and dying, at least of our egos, may be a gateway to breaking us open – in order to love
The most important part of the Christian story is not the Cross, but Easter; not death, but new life. But you can’t get to new life without going through the death. You can’t end-run the process. That’s just the way it is. That’s the truth of the foundational myth.
This is the inspirational message from Rev. Hank Galganowicz, and the community affirms it by saying, Amen. Alleluia
Spirit of the Living God, open up our hearts
Spirit of the Living God, open up our hearts
Suffering, dying, loving, rising
Spirit of the Living God, open up our hearts
Gospel (Jim)A reading from the Gospel writer known as Luke
Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. He said, “Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone should ask you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you will answer, ‘The Master has need of it.’” So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying this colt?” They answered, “The Master has need of it.” So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount. As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed: “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of our God. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He said in reply, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!”
These are the inspired words from Gospel writer known as Luke, and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.
Shared Homily
Dennis: In preparing today’s liturgy, I purposely chose to use the entry into Jerusalem and forego the reading of the Passion, since there is much that happens during this week that leads up to the death of Jesus.His riding into Jerusalem from one side of the city, while Pilate arrives from the other direction sets up the image of opposing forces, one that preaches love over war, the other that promotes the love of war and oppression. This is Jesus’ first step toward choosing, as our first reading indicates, to move toward his death. He could easily dwell in the adulation of the crowds, bask in his notoriety, but instead he steps beyond his ego into the transformative space of speaking truth to power a message of love, compassion, and acceptance of all people. He stands in solidarity with those who are oppressed. He opens himself to the love of the Divine which carried him through his death to a new life.
We are called as followers of Jesus to respond to the outcry for salvation. As we watch the pain and suffering, the demoralization of people, the destruction of lives throughout the world and in our own communities, we must decide if we will die to our egos and be transformed by the Divine Love that lives within us. Are we able to, in our own small or large way, touch hearts and offer hope, show compassion, and spread the love that is beyond all love? Like Jesus, let us open our hearts!
Margaret: Jesus came to make a difference. His journey in Jerusalem was not going to be easy. I see making a difference in the lives of others today.One in particular, is about a nun, S.Ligi Payyappily from India who has spent the last twenty years of her life in the Ukraine. She and her community have been taking in students from India, offering them baths, food and bed to sleep in.These students have been stranded in the Ukraine because of coming from India. They travelled to the border of Poland and were turned back, only Ukraine women and children could get across to Poland. After being stranded for 15 hours, the students were rescued by S. Payyappily and another nun. After caring for the students at their convent, the students were driven to the borders of Romania, Hungary and Slovakia and the nuns facilitated their easy passage to these countries. “Since there are many to support Ukrainians, we opted to help foreign students, a lot of them being Indian,” Payyappilly explained. She said once the people cross the border safely including Ukrainians, they consider the mission accomplished and look for other lost ones on their journey out of Ukraine.
Are we able to, in our own small or large way, touch hearts and offer hope, show compassion, and spread the love that is beyond all love? What does “making a difference” say to you? Please share your thoughts by unmuting yourself and afterwards click on the mute key.
Statement of Faith(Sandi)
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery beyond all definition and rational understanding, the heart of all that has ever existed, that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word, bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion, bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of divine love, a source of wisdom and truth, and an instrument of peace in the world. We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One, the life that is our innermost life, the breath moving in our being, the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it happen.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Ed: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware of our call to serve, and just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.
Intentions read
We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
Ed:With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together (1)
We gather today mindful of the many times we have professed our readiness to be true disciples of Jesus, to be salt of the earth, and light for the world.
We, recognizing the call of Jesus to love our neighbor and all of creation, join in the everlasting song of praise to the Great Mystery of Light and Love:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
Margaret: We acknowledge the daunting challenge of this time in the society in which we live, with its economic systems that impoverish and disempower people and its political systems that enables the rich to get richer and the earth to become poorer.
We remember that Jesus encountered in his day, systems as unjust as those we experience in our day, and who surely felt powerless to change anything on his own.
We turn our hearts and minds to his message, to his hopes and dreams, to his ardent desire for a better society. We focus on his struggle his reflections his prayer his questions – where to start? how to start? what to say? whom to choose? how to keep going? how to be salt? how to be light?
We call to mind how Jesus urged his listeners to put their trust in the power of being neighbors, in the power of the Divine Spirit within them, in the power of conversion from the religious thinking and practices that made them feel inadequate and worthless.
Dennis: Our prayer today is a prayer of resolve, a prayer of determination that we, each of us, will do whatever we can, however small, in whatever way we can to bring the real dream of Jesus to fruition in our lives and in our world today.
As we start Holy Week we focus on Jesus, human like us, a man with a dream for a better world, a man of extraordinary courage, a man on a journey to the end of his life, a man willing to die for what he believed, a man who knew he would never see his dream fulfilled, a man who had to trust that those who came after him would keep his dream alive.
As we gather once more around the bread and cup we recall how Jesus shared them with his friends shortly before he died. He invited them to eat and drink as a sign of their readiness to keep his memory alive and to give their all for what he believed and taught.
Gathered at the table, Jesus lifted the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them saying,
“Share this bread among you; this is my body which will be broken for justice. Do this to remember me.” (pause)
When supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to his disciples, saying: “Share this wine among you; this is my blood which will be shed for liberation. Do this to remember me.” (pause)
Ed: Let us share this bread and this cup in solidarity with all peoples of the world, to be strengthened, so that peace and justice may prevail everywhere.
What we have heard with our ears we will live with our lives.As we share communion we will become communion, both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
Please receive Communion with the words: I receive with an open heart.
Margaret: God of love, we give you thanks for satisfying our hungry hearts with this meal. Inspire in us the resolve and the courage, the compassion and the passion, to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with you. Amen
Vince: Let us pray the prayer Jesus:
O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come.
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,
Each day you give us all we need;
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever.Amen
(Miriam Therese Winter)
Final Blessing
Dennis: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May we draw courage from each other so that we, like Jesus, can face the everyday challenges that threaten our mission to create the earth anew.Let us remember that we have been chosen to be a blessing to all through radical love and limitless compassion.Amen.
Musician Elizabeth Conant wondered why the affable and talented Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins overdosed on drugs. She wrote: “We need to trust that no one is having an easy time of it; this is a hard planet. Human beings are all doing the best they can, just to get through.”
As we Christians begin another holy week we are challenged to embrace the stories of passion and death as if they were our own. Think of the many people around the world who are suffering and dying because of discrimination, starvation and brutal war crimes — Bulgarians, Haitians, Syrians, Ukrainians, and countless others. They do the best they can “just to get through” but, in every situation they need help from others.
Today’s gospel texts are incongruous. First, Jesus of Nazareth arrives in Jerusalem to much applause and fanfare! At long last he was the Coming One who was to save Jews and others living in a distant outpost of the Roman Empire. (Luke 19:28-40) Then the story of his triumphant entry turns ugly as it details the journey of the prophetic Jewish Nazarene to his execution on a cross. (Luke 22: 14-23:56)
Did Jesus ever second guess his mission? Did he think to himself, while riding that donkey, with a feigned smile on his lips, nodding to the prostrating crowd, “God, what am I doing here? Wasn’t there an easier way to carry out this mission?”
Jesus did not finish what he set out to do — bring about peace and justice for everyone. Critics say Jesus failed in his mission. Social activists say we are charged to carry on his task. What role does failure play in the ways we can improve the way we behave in life?
The second testament depicts Jesus as an enigmatic and compassionate person determined to help people who hunger for dignity; he took a lot of risks to do so. Like many prophets in the Hebrew Bible Jesus protested publicly against the status quo. He criticized civic and religious leaders for their hard hearted crimes.
Jesus raised an awareness of the injustices that prevailed in his time. His speeches and actions annoyed elite power holders. They accused him of making trouble and for posing as a king (although he never claimed to be one). He was executed because he was a political activist.
Today’s passage from Second Isaiah 50: 4-7 gives us some background for understanding Jesus’ behavior. It is the third of four suffering servant poems. It lists the qualities of a true servant. One of those characteristics is to be mindful; to pay attention to one’s calling.1 [1]
Jesus did what he was supposed to do and it required much sacrifice. Not only did he follow the expectations of his empyrean Father, he also listened to the cries of the people around him and he took action.
Some commentators will focus on how Jesus emptied himself of his Godly personhood. This phrase refers to the incarnation of God. Jesus never called himself divine.
In the Bible Jesus is called the Human One. A Jew throughout his life, he never abandoned his humanity. This side of Jesus makes it possible to identify with his life and the good he did; his suffering and his death.
Many people today are forsaken even as they hope for brighter days. Volodymyr Zelensky feels abandoned by some Western countries as well as greedy banking and oil industry executives. But, he continues to take risks to keep Ukrainians free from death and autocracy. Like other Ukrainians he is doing all he can do.
The same is true of the Romani, the Uyghurs, Guatemalans, Afghans, and others living on the edges of society. Millions are doing their best to survive in refugee camps. Others wait anxiously to cross borders into hospitable territories like those waiting to enter the United States.
In his letter to the Philippians (2:6-11) Paul was concerned about whether his listeners would embrace a Christ-like way of living for others. It would require listening to them and finding ways to help.
During this holy week we ponder not just the passion and death of the prophetic Jew we call the anointed One and savior. We recommit ourselves to a Christian lifestyle, making sacrifices and taking risks to help others so they can live without the fear of abandonment. None of us can do this alone but we try to do the best we can.
We can volunteer at food banks and protest at rallies. We can also do other things that matter. Acts of generosity, kindness and compassion, a smile, a hug can make a huge difference in the lives of people who live among us, who are deserted and vulnerable. This is a hard time for all human beings. Many of our brothers and sisters near and far need help.
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1 “Attention is the Beginning of Devotion” in Devotions: Selected Poems of Mary Oliver (NY: Penguin Books) 2017
![By Wolfgang Sauber (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://sociallearningonline.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/women-at-the-cross.jpg?w=225&h=300)
