Burdens, Bridges and Self-Giving Love (Palm Sunday)

This week we mark Palm Sunday – a unique celebration in that there are two Gospel readings, not the usual one. And as I read them again, I am struck by the contrasts between them.

In the first we hear the account of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, in the latter His rejection, humiliation and crucifixion.

In the former He is met by crowds cheering and waving green branches. They throw their cloaks on the ground as He passes, carried by a humble beast of burden.

In the latter His own clothing is stripped from Him, and the crowd jeers as he carries the burden of the cross, crowned with thorns and our sinfulness.

As the crow flies, from the Palm Sunday road to Calgary is a little over a mile. By contrast the distance between the cries of ‘Hosanna, Lord save us’ and ‘If you are Son of God, save yourself’ feels more like an eternity.

But the bridge between the two is the wood of the cross and the willingness of Christ to lay down His life for us. In this He is not a victim - His suffering is an act of self-giving love for all of humanity. Nonetheless, it is ultimately rendered necessary by our own self-interest, and our own denial of God, reflected in the two Gospel readings.

In this Holy Week we are now confronted with the result of our failings in the most graphic and visceral way.

As I walk away from Mass this weekend I will take one of the palms - a small token of Christ's journey onto the path my sinfulness paved for him - and put it in a prominent place. One where I cannot miss it.

And I will pray that, as its vibrant green fades to grey, I can let go of the selfishness that has made His suffering necessary.

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