Palm Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima
Theme: A Call to be messengers of peace, hope and victory of Christ
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Readings: Is 50:4-7; 2
Phil 2:6-11; Mk 14:1-15:47
Dearest brothers and sisters, 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, and 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 she
has been battered by problems and wars from all her quarters. We have seen the
situation between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Palestine. Acts of
terrorism are engulfing many countries of Africa. Many other parts of the world
have also been engulfed by unreported crises and unrests. 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 victorious King is
passing by today, and he has victoriously entered our neighbourhood to fight
our battles of life and to give us victory. Thus, 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 is 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. The difficulties we have seen in our world have made many people to lose
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, which 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 and hope and of 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 of today. 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 and our culture industries. 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. We deny Christ
and our faith whenever we keep quiet in the presence of such teachings and
lifestyles. 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 entered 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.
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