ENTER INTO THE EMPTINESS TO GET THE FULLNESS


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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