IT TAKES POWER TO MAKE ONESELF WEAK.

PALM SUNDAY. YEAR C.
April 1, 2007.
(First Gospel Reading: Luke 19:28-40) (First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7) (Second Reading: Philippians 2: 6-11) (Passion Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:56)

IT TAKES POWER TO
MAKE ONESELF WEAK.

Palm Sunday celebrates the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, it celebrates the anticipation of the triumph of the power of God over the power of the world, a triumph that must first endure the cross.

Palm Sunday is the occasion for us, human beings, to participate in the power of the Lord Jesus, to enter into the power of the Lord Jesus:
- A power that comes from God
- A power that is assailed by the power of the world
- A power that gives us strength to become weak (to become servants of all)
- A power that always remains with us, even in our weakness (or shall be said especially in our weakness)
- A power that ultimately triumphs over the power of the world
- A power that is praised by all creation.

- The power of Jesus comes from God.
The power we share with the Lord Jesus is the power that comes God. Saint Paul in his Letter to the Philippians (Second reading) stresses the fact that "Christ Jesus [is] in the form of God", He always was, He always is. The fact that Jesus took our flesh, in no way diminished his total union with the Father. Similarly, those who are in Christ, will always participate in his power, the power of God.

- The power of Jesus is constantly under assault by the world. The power of the world is radically opposed to the power of Jesus:
- The Passion Gospel of Luke (22:25-26) describes these two powers: "The kings of the world lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as 'benefactors'; but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant". The leaders of our world do not tolerate any other form of power than that which is forcefully imposed upon people. The leaders of our oppressive world try to annihilate all attempts to establish the "power of the servant" (the power of Jesus).

- The Passion Gospel of Luke (23:12) makes reference to the joint effort of our societal institutions to conspire against the power of Jesus: "Herod and Pilate [The political and military institutions] became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly". The societal institutions of our world are designed to jointly maintain the prevailing "order" of oppression and injustice.

- The Passion Gospel of Luke (22:53) reveals how the power of the world seizes (temporarily, of course) the power of God: "Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness"; the time when injustice, oppression, abuse and destruction rule over our world.

- The power of Jesus gives us strength to make ourselves weak, servants of all our fellow human beings. Saint Paul (Second reading) tells us that Jesus "emptied himself, taking the form of a slave... becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross... Because of this, God greatly exalted him..." The true power of God is received in our willingness to make ourselves servants off all.

- The power of Jesus remains always with us, especially in our weakness, just as the power of God remained always in Jesus, especially through out the sufferings of his passion. The power of Jesus is manifested not only through all the mighty deeds he performed, but also through his unfailing commitment to accept the cross. For it was precisely during his passion that the Lord Jesus had to resort to all his power, all the power God had bestowed on him, in order to endure the cross placed before him by the power of the world.

- The power of Jesus will ultimately triumph over the power of the world. It was the power of Jesus on the cross that led him to his triumph over death. We, human beings, must also resort to the power of Jesus in order to triumph over injustice, oppression, division and wars among human beings.

- The power of Jesus is praised by all creation. The power of the servant Jesus, the power that turns death in to life, injustice into justice, war into peace, division into unity, is the only power that is worthy of praise by human beings. Therefore, life, justice, peace, unity are ways of crying out our praises to God. If we, human beings, failed to cry out the Lord's praises, "the stones will cry out".

Today, we praise the power of Jesus upon his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem by asking him the grace to share in his power in order to make ourselves servants of all, to share in his power in order to make ourselves weak.