Palm Sunday of the Lords Passion

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This Sunday we are brought into the first telling of Jesus’ Passion during this season of Lent. And as I reflected on the readings I was presented with the themes of surrender and acceptance and vulnerability and humility.

Surrender and acceptance. The first reading reveals the prophecy of Jesus’ Passion, as Isaiah speaks of the gifts and help God has given him that allows him to accept all that is thrown at him. Then in the Gospel, we see Jesus fulfill this prophecy while He is in the Garden of Gethsemane, pleading with the Father to take away this Passion, but only if it is His will. God does not take away the cup; Jesus accepts this. When his torturers came to arrest Him, Jesus handed Himself over. Radical acceptance with no conditions. Jesus freely gave of Himself without a blemish of His own to save us. That is where we receive the beauty, sanctification, and glory of the Cross: Jesus’ free will, and pure love entering solidarity with us taking on our sins upon Himself.

Thus, we must examine ourselves. Will we follow the Father wherever He leads, how willing are we to put our pride, our plans, our hopes, and dreams to the side to allow God’s will to transform us and those around us?

Vulnerability and Humility. Jesus is vulnerable with us. He shows us that He suffers, that He knows pain. Jesus in the Garden cried out “My soul is sorrowful even to death”, on the cross He exclaimed, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”. Jesus’ crying out gets our attention and us draws us near to show us His wounds, and His humanity

March 24th, 2024 Palm Sunday of the Lords Passion

that He chose to share with us. What humility He must allow Himself to be in this position, where this story will be told sharing His fears, Him being ridiculed and mocked, and in the end even His death. This vulnerability gives us the full insight of a God who loves us beyond reasoning, a love that is poured forth from the very cup that Jesus asked His Father to take from Him, a love that is submerged in mercy that will allow Jesus to ask for forgiveness those are in the act of killing Him.

So, let us sit with Jesus at the foot of the cross beholding His sacrifice and complete vulnerability showing us His open wounds that call us in. And let us be not afraid of being vulnerable with Him. Showing Jesus our wounds and fears is not an opportunity for Him to use them to make us suffer. On the contrary, we are already suffering, and Jesus just wants to be with us in that. So be with Jesus in His suffering and allow Him to be with you in Yours.

Please take this time to remain close to him and keep watch, Dominique Brutus, Drexel FOCUS missionary