At the Procession with Palms: Mk 11:1-10
First Reading: Is 50:4-7
Second Reading: Phil 2:6-11
Gospel: Mk 14:1--15:47
Holy week is the most
important week in the life of every Christian. Without holy week and paschal
mystery Christian life is meaningless and belief in Christ Jesus as Lord
becomes superstitious. The Holy week commences with the solemn entry of Jesus
into Jerusalem, the holy city. On this day, the disciples of Jesus, people who
looked forward for the coming of Messiah, people who waited for liberation both
physically and spiritually and people who came to belief in Jesus as Son of God
acclaim Jesus as king of Jews. They lead Jesus into the holy city of Israel – that
too just before the Passover feast – with slogans, palm leaves in their hands,
spreading cloaks and leafy branches on his way (similar to red carpet welcome
of today). This whole scene raises the hope of Israel that new era is starting
with Jesus. However, there are few who are threatened by this scene. They are
the authorities whose power and honour may be taken away by Jesus. They see Palm
Sunday as a seed shown by Jesus for their dethronement. And indeed it is. Nevertheless,
they too plan to show a seed of lie, hatred and rejection to harvest the death
of Jesus before the Passover feast. The seed that is shown by Satan into the hearts
of Jewish leadership has ripened to produce many more seeds.
In the passion narrative, we
hear about a woman who comes to anoint the leg of Jesus with high valued
perfume. The onlookers’ comment that the costly ointment should be sold for
good amount of money and be given to the poor rather than simply wasting it on
Jesus (Mk 14:4-5). They perceive that the woman is trying to please Jesus with
this act to get some privilege as she is a sinner. Jesus forbids all those comments
and justifies the act of the woman as good, necessary and timely. This woman
who is in great distress needs something. She needs peace, she needs forgiveness,
she needs liberation, she needs guidance, she needs new beginning, she needs
renewal and she needs God. To gain this she is willing to sacrifice everything
she has. After experiencing all the dysfunctions in the world, she is looking
forward for redemption. This is the case with every sinner who gets disappointed
at the end of his/her search for eternal happiness. After going a long way in
sinful path just as a prodigal son, the sinner realizes that there is nothing
phenomenal in that path. This disappointment is the turning point for a sinner to
lose everything that one has to get into a right destiny. The prodigal son leaves
everything to come back to the Father. This woman with costly ointment too is not
counting the cost, she has decided to lose everything she has to get something
that is necessary and long lasting. This woman brings before us the attitude of
God towards humanity. The Most High God, who has no need of human beings has
decided to give away everything He has to get human beings into His paradise.
Yes, He did not count the cost of losing His Son for the sake of humanity. In the
second reading, St. Paul narrates this generosity of God in a form of a hymn.
Son of God who was in equal existence with God the Father is giving up that
prestigious place to reach out to humanity in a vulnerable form of a baby (Phil
2:7). In the beginning God created human being in His image and likeness (Gen
1:27). Originally human being represented God’s image and holiness to other
creatures on earth. The loss of this holiness and God’s imprint on human being
is restored not by destroying created human being and thereby creating a new
human group, rather by God taking a dysfunctional form of a human being in
Jesus. Through Jesus, God has brought back the original holiness to humanity that
is lost in the garden of Eden.
The entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem also should be seen as the restoration of the Holiness of Jerusalem,
the bringing back of God’s glory (shekinah)
which was lost at the seizure of Judah by Babylonians. During Jesus’ time the
holy of holies remained empty because, the Ark of the Covenant was not there. Jesus,
the Holy of Holies is entering the temple to bring back the lost mighty presence
of God. The cleansing of temple by Jesus after today’s triumphal entry and projection
of Him as new temple reveal the new order and the new kingdom that He is
inaugurating. This whole week, Jesus is busy in bringing back the holiness that
is lost in Jerusalem, in Israel and in humanity. Where sin abounds, there grace
abounds all the more (Rom 8:20). The multiplication of lies and wickedness of Jewish
leadership during this week paves way for the Jesus to show what it means to be
holy; being humble and obedient (Phil 2:8). Yes, may this week liturgy help us
to understand the holiness that Jesus has given us and the holiness that we are
called for. Wishing you all a prayerful holy week. May we enter into this week
with a seed (desire for) of holiness so that on the resurrection Sunday we may
rise with God’s glory imprinted on us.
Let’s not forget, the sacrament
of reconciliation is the place where we need to go to make this week HOLY for
us. Let us empty ourselves in the confession just as the woman did with her costly
ointment and God has done with His only Son. If the entry of Jesus into empty
holy of holies has brought back the glory of God, surely our entry into
emptiness in the confessional will lead us to bring back the original holiness
of humanity and fullness of divine life we are hoping for.
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