Passion Sunday: Called to be true witnesses to the Gospel
Dearest brothers and sister, Palm Sunday is a special
Sunday in the liturgical year. it is a Sunday that opens the door to a great
week – the Holy week – for us. It ushers us into a week that is rich with the
reminiscence of the events that saved us from sin, the events that restored us
to God’s friendship, the events that restored us to life.
Today we carry branches of Palms or olives and follow
Jesus into our Churches, the new Jerusalem, the same way the people of
Jerusalem cut branches of trees and spread them on the way as Jesus
triumphantly entered Jerusalem. These branches of olive or palm that have been
blessed have become sacramentals. They will be burnt on Ash Wednesday next
year, and ashes from them will be used to usher us into another period of Lent.
Branches of olive or palm have wonderful significances
in our world. They signify peace, victory and hope. These significances have
their root from the culture of the Mediterranean basin, especially from the
culture/customs of the ancient Egypt and ancient Greek, where olive branches
represented peace or victory, particularly regarding supplication to both the
gods and persons in power.
Therefore, dearest
friends, today, we have the symbol of peace in our hands – the branches of palm
or olive. These days, our world needs peace more than any other thing because
it has been battered by problems from all its quarters. It is also known to
everyone that Peace is the greatest gift we, as Christians, can give to our
families and friends. With these branches of olive/palm, let us become
messengers of peace to our world, our families and friends. Indeed, it will be
a contradiction if the bearer of olive/palm branches is not a promoter of peace
in his/her neighbourhood.
The olive/palm branch
also signifies victory. Today, we have recalled Christ’s triumphant entry into
Jerusalem, where he became victorious over the forces of darkness and death. We
have also read the Passion of Christ which showed us Christ’s journey to
victory. We are witnesses to this victorious power of Christ over evil and
death. Hence, as we carry these branches of palm/olive, a sign of victory, let us
remind the world that our Saviour is a victorious king; let us be witnesses to
the victorious power of Christ over sin and death in our society. Friends, we
are children of victory. In fact, if anybody asks you why you have the branches
of olive/palm in your hands today, tell that person that our victories King is
passing by today, and he has victoriously entered our neighbourhood to fight
our battles of life and to give us victory. However, it will be a contradiction
if children of victory are afraid to proclaim Christ to their friends.
The olive/palm branch
also signifies hope. This was evident in the book of Genesis when the dove that
was sent out by Noah returned with an olive branch, a sign of the hope of a new
beginning. Dear friends, it is not an uncommon knowledge that the impact of
covid-19 pandemic has left many people without hope of the future. The
difficulties of our world have made many people to have no hope in life and in
God. Many people are searching for where to anchor their hope. Dear friends, today
we have the sign of the hope of a new beginning in our hands, that is the branches
of olive/palm. Let us go out and spread this message of hope, let us tell the
world that in Jesus, there is the hope of a new beginning. The resurrection of
Christ is a guarantee of a new beginning, it is an ensemble of hope. Let us be
torch bearers of hope wherever we enter, starting from today.
Friends, we have the
vocation to spread the message of peace, hope and Christ’s victory in our world.
As we do this, it is good to remember that Christ wants us to be true witnesses.
Jesus needs those who will stay with Him both in good times and in bad times,
those who will stay with Him when it is joyful and when it is sorrowful. Our
witness to Christ should not be like that of the crowd who shouted Hosanna at
the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem but did not come out to defend Him
when he was unjustly tried and condemned to death. Many of them denied him and chose
Barabbas in his place, as we read in the Passion narrative. Many of them
shouted ‘crucify him, crucify him’ with the same intensity with which they
shouted ‘Hosanna, Son of David’.
Dear friends, many
concrete situations of our lives demand us to witness to the truths of the
Gospel. We have all noticed that our world has been penetrated by many
doctrines, ideologies and lifestyles that are contrary to the truth of the
Gospel. These evil lifestyles and ideologies are promoted and advertised as fashionable
models by many governments of the world and, especially, by our so-called
celebrities. It is unfortunate that some of them go to the extent of forcing
their ungodly views on others. Dear friends, we would be acting like the crowd
in the Passion Narrative if we continue to keep quiet and watch our world being
battered by these people. Let us not deny Christ and our faith in the presence
of such teachings and lifestyles by keeping quiet. We deny Christ any time we
decide to play the card of indifference in the face of evil. We choose Barabbas
any time we swim against the truth of the gospel. May we not remain indifferent
and unconcerned in the face of the anti-life ideologies that have penetrate our
societies. May we stop being politically correct in the face of evil. Let us
speak out for Christ.
Finally, today ushers us
into the Holy week. The wish of Christ and his church is that all of us who
will participate in the programmes of this Holy week should be holy too. Hence,
let us set sin aside and focus on the Paschal Mysteries. Jesus invites us to open
ourselves to be washed clean by His Precious Blood through the sacrament of
reconciliation. Let us carry our cross and march with Christ to Calvary so that
we will rise with him in glory.
Fr. Isaac Chinemerem
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