April 05, 2020
Palm Sunday
With concern for the transmission of the coronavirus, there will be no Palm Sunday Service or Masses and no congregations. People may come to church for personal prayer while keeping social distancing. There will be no distribution of palm branches. While these precautions are very necessary I find it ironic that in the Gospel according to Matthew “a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from trees and strewed them on the road†as they welcome Jesus to Holy City of Jerusalem. But we know crowds can be fickle easily swayed by dominant voices to express exultant praise and, soon after, to yell bitter condemnation. When we listen to Matthew’s Passion Narrative, we notice the dramatic change in the crowd. In the Garden of Gethsemane “a large crowd†will lay hands on and arrest Jesus. Governor Pontius Pilate releases Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, “to the crowd†as they shout back for Jesus to be crucified.
However, individuals act apart from the crowd. After denying that he knows Jesus, Peter weeps bitterly. Simon, a Cyrenian, is pressed to carry the cross for Jesus. A Centurion, a Roman soldier, exclaims that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Joseph, from Arimathea, asks Pilate for the body of Jesus, wraps the body in clean linen and lays the body in a new tomb hewn in rock.
Not only do we hear of some individuals acting differently than “the crowd†but Matthew, the evangelist, records that there are many women looking on from a distance who have followed Jesus from Galilee ministering to him including Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. When men disciples abandon Jesus, women disciples remain faithful.
The church remains a very positive social community within society when we hold true to what we believe and live accordingly, especially so, at this time, when we cannot congregate physically. But we know as well, within our Catholic tradition, “the saints†are often women and men who stand apart from “the crowd†in giving heroic witness to Jesus Christ by their sacrificial love for neighbor. Consider nurses and doctors who are risking their lives providing critical care for those inflicted with this extremely contagious virus. Today, Palm Sunday, spiritually united in Christ, may we be mindful of all those impacted by this deadly disease and pray for God’s strength and courage to persevere.
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Fifth Sunday of Lent
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Easter
