I Commend My Spirit

Homily for March 20, 2015 (Passion or Palm Sunday)

Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 19:28-40, 22:14-23:56

On this day when we remember the Passion of Christ with palms and processions, we who have made the commitment to bear the cross and follow in his footsteps are called to develop the qualities he demonstrated in his own life and ministry:  a well-trained tongue, an open ear, a strong back, and an unguarded but hardened face. 

The early church saw in Jesus the embodiment of the Suffering Servant in the songs of Isaiah—42:1-7; 49:1-7; 50:4-9 (today’s first reading); and 52:13-53:12 (which we’ll read on Good Friday). He remains our model for carrying on the mission that he left for his disciples.

Jesus had a well-trained tongue.  He knew well the Torah, the writings of the prophets, and the wisdom literature of his people.  When the scribes, Pharisees or even the devil challenged him from scripture, he not only produced his own verses to counter them but he also had the ability to interpret the word of God in ways that spoke to the human heart and called people to conversion.  How well do we know and reflect on our own faith—the scriptures, tradition and magisterial teachings, and the sensus fidelium or the sense of the faithful (the people in the pews)?

Jesus had an open ear.  His heart and mind were ready to hear the cries of the poor and marginalized—widows, people suffering from disabilities, and those labeled and shamed as sinners.  Especially according to Luke’s gospel, he also included women at a time when discrimination against them was widespread, institutionalized and religiously sanctioned.

Jesus had a strong back.  He was able to bear the burdens of others even as, in St. Paul’s words in our second reading, “he emptied himself and took the form of a slave.”  Paradoxically, the more we empty ourselves through loving service to others and commitment to our own conversion with the help of God’s grace, the stronger we become…and often the more that will be asked of us.  Everything and everyone that Jesus carried in his preaching, teaching and healing culminated in the cross he carried to Golgotha, where he gave the greatest gift that he could possibly give:  his life.  It is no wonder, then, that in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ last words before dying were “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” 

Jesus had an unguarded but hardened face.  By regularly hanging around with and helping tax collectors and others considered sinners; by valuing the law of mercy over the laws of ritual purity; and by his willingness to confront others about their hypocrisy, ignorance and abuses of power, Jesus exposed himself to ridicule, persecution and ultimately death.  It wasn’t easy: at Gethsemane he prayed that the bitter cup of suffering and death might pass him by.  Yet in the end, he turned his will and his life over to the one he called Father and fulfilled his mission.

Today we begin our annual pilgrimage of Holy Week with all of its rich symbolism:  the washing of the feet and the exposition of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday; the veneration of the cross on Good Friday; the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) at the Easter Vigil; and on Easter Sunday the highest Mass attendance since Christmas!  Give us, O Lord, tongues that are well-trained, ears and hearts that are open, backs that are strong, and faces open to others and to the world.  +