HOMILY FOR PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION YEAR A. (4)

HOMILY FOR PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION YEAR A.

THEME: Judas Iscariot, Simon Peter, and Others.

BY: Father Anthony O. Ezeaputa, MA.

Since the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent until now, we have been preparing to celebrate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord by fasting, praying, giving alms, and doing other acts of penance. With today’s celebration, the memorial of the triumphant entrance of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem, we begin the Holy Week in anticipation of Easter.

Today, the Catholic Church strongly recommends a brief homily or a period of silence. By the way, a homily in the Catholic Church is a ministerial preaching reserved for the ordained ministers (deacons, presbyters, and bishops) at liturgies, the public rites of the church—Mass, baptisms, confirmations, weddings, funerals, and ordinations—and sometimes at public prayer events where preaching is encouraged.

You have probably seen and heard different preachers, but not all of them give homilies. A homily can be given at any liturgical event, and different liturgical events have different prayers and readings from the Lectionary. At Mass on Sundays, for instance, Catholics all over the world celebrate the same liturgy with the same liturgical prayers and readings. Though each homilist may approach their homilies differently, they are all inspired by the Lectionary readings and liturgical prayers.

The purpose of the homily at Mass is to reflect on the liturgy of the occasion, particularly the Lectionary readings, in a way that teaches, encourages, and consoles. In other words, a homilist assists his congregation to enter deeply into the liturgy of the occasion, i.e., to show them how to grow in holiness and encourage them to persevere on their way to heaven, as well as to boldly profess their faith in God (the Creed), and to transition from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The Catholic Church thinks that the Passion narrative, the procession, the palm branches, the readings, especially the gospel, and the whole liturgy of today already serve the purpose of a homily at Mass. Still, let’s focus on a few points from today’s gospel passage (Matthew 26:14–27:66) that might help us be more involved in today’s liturgy and go deeper into the mystery of this Holy Week.

The evangelist Matthew in today’s gospel wants us to know that the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ were out of his obedience to his Father. Jesus says, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Additionally, it is for the fulfillment of Scripture. Jesus says, “But all this has come to pass that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled” (Matthew 26:56).

God has plans for each one of us, the prophet Jeremiah says (Jeremiah 29:11). Plans for good, not for bad, and to give us a future and hope. And for these plans to come true in our lives, we must be as obedient and faithful to God as our Lord Jesus, even when the temptation to give up is too strong or the trials are too hard.

There are other characters in today’s gospel passage, like Judas Iscariot, Peter, the other apostles, and Pontius Pilate. They mirror the many ways we sometimes respond to Jesus.
Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter were both among the Twelve, and both betrayed their master. While there are similarities in their betrayal, there are also differences.

Sometimes we are like Judas Iscariot, who betrayed his master and friend out of greed for material things. Even though he later regretted his actions, he did not feel bad enough to beg Jesus for forgiveness. Instead, he committed suicide out of despair and pride.

We sometimes act like Peter, who denied Jesus because he was afraid of being arrested and suffering with Jesus. We could sometimes deny Jesus like Peter did by denying our Christian beliefs to fit in with the crowd. But Christianity isn’t a religion about doing what everyone else does. It’s about following a person, Jesus Christ, and doing what he does.

Peter is a lot different from Judas Iscariot because, unlike Judas Iscariot, he did not kill himself. Instead, he waited until after Jesus’ resurrection to apologize to him. So, Peter reminds us that we are human and make mistakes, and that God is also always ready to give us a second chance.

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“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,” says the Lord; “though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). All we must do is humble ourselves, acknowledge, and confess our sins.

Also, sometimes we’re like the other disciples who fell asleep during the darkest hour of Jesus. True discipleship is like standing by your spouse, family, or friend in sickness and in health, in poverty and in plenty. Of course, there is always the temptation to be a “fair-weather disciple,” but true discipleship means standing with Jesus, not just when it is easy and convenient to do so.

Finally, we can be like Pontius Pilate sometimes. He knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong. Even his wife told him about a dream she had about Jesus. But instead of letting Jesus go, he washed his hands of the situation, which is a sin of omission. We are called to stand up for the truth, even if it means standing alone.

As we remember Christ the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and start Holy Week, let’s reflect on the dangers of avarice, greed, fear, and omission. And if we find ourselves falling for these sins, let us not be afraid to repent, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation. Let’s be like Jesus and do what the Father wants in all circumstances. Have a great Holy Week!

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