Homily: Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (C)
Luke 1:1-49
13 April 2025
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
At the start of the mass, we gathered outside with our palm fronds to get a feel of what it was like to be present at the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This was a moment filled with hope as people waved palms and loudly cried out “hosannas” to Him whom they regarded as the Promised Messiah. Yet, just moments ago, we re-enacted the heart-breaking events that took place just days after. How quickly the “cheers” turned to “jeers”; how the joy of this day gave way to the agony of the cross. As we begin this week’s journey with Jesus, we are asked to reflect through our readings, particularly the Passion Narrative, on the mystery of God’s great love for us.
St. Paul tells us in Philippians that Jesus, “though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself…” (Philippians 2:6) This act of self-emptying — kenosis — is the very essence of the person of Christ. He gave everything: His power, His dignity, His very life. Not because He had to, but because He chose to. Jesus stripped Himself of everything and stooped down to the level of humanity — a heap of mess, sin, and suffering, because He chose to reach out to us from where we are. God does not save us from a distance. He enters into our world, into our pain, into our death.
But again, we may ask: “Why did Christ empty Himself so completely?” Because that is precisely what LOVE does — it stoops. By its nature, love cannot remain distant. Love reaches out and draws everyone near. As one commentator puts it: “Love kneels to wash feet. Love shares meals with sinners. Love touches the untouchable. Love sees the invisible.” Jesus stooped so low in order to lift us up. Hence, we cannot say, “God does not understand what we are going through” because Jesus has lived through our human experience for love of us.
Something I would like us to remember and internalise today is that Jesus does not endure all of this only for the holy and the righteous. He makes this sacrifice even for the worst sinners, that they may have a chance. He does not exclude the Jews who betrayed Him by consenting to His crucifixion. He does not exclude the Romans who carried out the gruesome sentence. He does not exclude the millions and millions of people who persecuted His followers through the ages. He does not exclude people two thousand (2000) years later who have devised worse ways to sin. He does not exclude you and me, who despite being baptised (made children of God) continue to sin the same sins. It is almost unthinkable that a person would accept suffering to liberate another who does not deserve it. Yet it is not impossible, because Jesus proved it is doable if we have love in our hearts.
This blessed week, let us walk with Jesus — not just to the cross, but beyond it, to the resurrection. Let us stand in awe of a love that goes so far, so low, and so deep — just so He can bring us home; united with Him forever!
Eugène Delacroix 1798 -1863, Christ on the Cross (detail) 1853, The National Gallery, London
Sunday Gospel Reflections 