Palm Sunday homily

Twice a year, we read the Passion of Jesus: here today and will hear it again on Good Friday. It would be easy to see it as an ancient story that had a beginning and an end. However, it never ends. The suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus continues to this day, especially in His wounded Body, the Church, in us. His suffering Body is the survivors of abuse and those from St Clare’s. His suffering Body is the soldier who deals with the effects of war and the spouses who have been left behind and their children on all sides. His suffering Body is the victim of a crime and those who search for justice in anyway. In the person who is trapped in depression, anxiety, addictions, and major mental health issues, we see the wounds of Christ. We are all His Wounded Body in some way or shape,

In the midst of these crosses, stands one higher than the rest, like a beacon. On that Cross, stained with the blood of the Lamb, the healing light of God’s love radiates high. That Cross is held high by the Risen One whose hands and feet are pierced, his side still open, his back still scarred and the marks of the thorns still there. But, He has conquered all the suffering and pain, not by avoiding it, but by passing through it. As we read in Isaiah, “By his stripes, we were healed.”

As we enter this Holy Week, may we reach out to our wounded brothers and sisters to find solace in the Blood of the Lamb. Like Mary, the Sorrowful Mother of the Church, may we stand with them, cry with them, hold them, mourn with them and do it with a heart filled with hope and love: the redeeming Love of Jesus that sets us free.