The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night. April 8, 2023

 

The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night. April 8, 2023

Gen. 1: 1 – 2: 2; Gen. 22: 1-18; Ex 14: 15 – 15: 1; Is 54: 5-14; Is 55: 1-11; Baruch 3: 9-15, 32 – 4: 4; Ez 36: 16-17a, 18-28; Rm 6: 3-11; Mt 28: 1-10

Theme: “Go Tell my Brothers to Go to Galilee, and There They Will See Me.”

The liturgy of this Easter Vigil draws on the symbolism of light versus darkness. Darkness is identified with sin, ignorance, and insecurity. The Easter Candle is the symbol of “Christ our light”. Tonight, we heard seven Old Testament and two New Testament readings. The seven Old Testament memorable stories tell us about salvation history. From the beginning, God created the world and called everything good, but sin entered the world, therefore, redemption was needed. So, throughout the readings of the Laws and Prophets, we heard many voices and events of leading Israel and the entire created world back to the fullness of our relationship with God. This is what the liturgy of tonight is about. Through the water of baptism (catechumens will be baptized and the rest of us will renew our baptismal promises), the fullness of our relationship with God will be restored. In this Easter Vigil, you and I participate in the resurrection of our Lord and so become “children of the Light”.

 The first reading (Genesis 1: 1 – 2: 2) makes us recall the moment God brought life to the world. The first thing to be created was the light and the last one was a human being whom God created in his image. There are two important details to note in this story. First, everything that God created, he saw how good it was. As to say, out of great love, God created everything perfectly. Second, God brought into being everything that exists in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. The lesson here is that we must work for six days and keep the seventh day free for rest and worship of God our Maker.

From the passage of our first reading to the story of the test of Abraham, we heard in the second reading (Genesis 22: 1-18), the book of Genesis unfolds the introduction of sin into the world (Adam and Eve) and the subsequent return of chaos (Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, Tower of Babel). All these stories demonstrate how far humanity through its arrogance of exploiting creation for its own success falls into sin and consequently moves away from God’s original designs. Chapter twelve of this book brings the story of Abraham with whom God intends to restore the goodness of the original creation. God called Abraham to be the father of a great nation and promised him that his descendants should receive blessings. The future of Abraham’s descendants relies upon his son Isaac. Our second reading then is the story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice Isaac as a holocaust. For three days Abraham, Isaac his son, and two servants traveled to the site of the sacrifice. We can imagine all sorts of thoughts were running through Abraham’s mind. Visibly, we just saw his obedience put into action. When they arrived at the place, the two servants stayed; Abraham and Isaac proceeded alone to the site. The narrator says that Isaac carried on his shoulders the wood for the fire of the sacrifice. The wood on Isaac’s shoulders metaphorically means all of Israel that is laid upon his shoulders. To his son’s question about the missing sheep for the holocaust, Abrahams answers with a profession of faith: “God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust”. (Exodus 22: 8). The test of Abraham is over. God sees how Abraham is devoted to him. The reading ends with God swearing to bless Abraham abundantly and make his descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore. (See Genesis 22: 16-18). Isaac was not sacrificed because God would provide a worthy sacrifice; one who would restore the unity of people with God. This worthy sacrifice is Jesus whose life, death, and resurrection we celebrate tonight.

The third reading of tonight (Exodus 14: 15 – 15: 1) continues the story of the salvation of humanity with the account of Moses saving the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. In our first reading, the story of creation, we saw that God created water to provide life for the creatures. Here in the book of Exodus, the water has double symbolisms. On one hand, it is a symbol of a new life for the Israelites as they pass through to safety on dry land. On the other hand, the water of the Red Sea is a symbol of death, as it swallows up and completely destroys the Egyptians. The symbol of “death” signifies that in the water of baptism, we die with Christ; and the symbol of “new life” means that in the same water of baptism, we are reborn and start a new life with our Resurrected Lord. Tonight, priests will bless the Easter Holy water. With this water, the candidates will be baptized, and we Christians will renew our baptismal promises.  This means that tonight, we die with Christ and resurrect with him. So, we start a new relationship with God.

We continue the salvation history with the story of the Babylonian Exile that the prophet Isaiah told us in our fourth reading. (Isaiah 54: 5-14). In the previous reading, we just meditated on the new relationship between God and his chosen people, but in this fourth reading, we meditated on their infidelity to God. The people of Israel who were deported as slaves to Babylon started to assimilate into the surrounding culture and worship the gods of Babylon. Prophet Isaiah then calls them to return home to their land and reminds them who their God is. Notice different names that Isaiah applies to God: “Husband, Maker, the Lord of hosts, Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel”. Isaiah uses the images of “Husband” (God) and “the unfaithful wife” (the Israelites). God is willing to take the people of Israel back if they repent. Isaiah is trying to restore the faith of his people in God’s fidelity. We were “the unfaithful wives”. We had the opportunity to repent during Lent. And now, this resurrection of our Lord we celebrate tonight restores our baptismal relationship with God.

Prophet Isaiah continues to call his people to come to God in our fifth reading. (Isaiah 55: 1-11). The Israelites here are identified as “thirsty people” and “Poor”. God invites them to come to the “water” and to receive free food, milk, and wine. Humanity has the free will to accept God’s invitation or refuse it. That is why God exhorts them to listen to him so that they may have life in a renewed everlasting covenant with Him. This life with God will make them “the missionaries” to attract people to God, as God says, “(…) so Shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you (…)”. (Isaiah 55: 5). Tonight, the candidates will be immersed in, and we Christians are sprinkled with the life-giving waters of baptism. The baptismal water does not discriminate, nor does it distinguish male from female, rich from poor, young from old, black from white. Rather, this water equalizes and makes all of us members of God’s family, disciples of Jesus. The water of baptism also makes us missionaries to attract other people where we live.

The sixth reading of this Easter Vigil is found in the book of Prophet Baruch. (Baruch 3: 9-15, 32 – 4: 4). Here, Baruch is praising “Wisdom” which he says is “the book of the precepts of God”. In this reading, he exhorts the people of Israel to embrace “Wisdom”, which means to embrace the book of the precepts of God as a lasting treasure and the source of life. The Church places this reading into the overall context of salvation history, to remind us that the observance of the commandments of God is necessary for us to be saved. People often forsake God’s Laws because they are distracted by worldly concerns. Prophet Baruch reminds us that if we turn our hearts to “wisdom”, we will not be disappointed. As our relationship with God is renewed through the water of baptism that we receive tonight, we have a choice to make: to follow the commandments of God or not. Baruch ends his hymn by inviting us to receive “wisdom”. He says that “wisdom”, the book of the precepts of God, is the law that endures forever. She existed on earth and moved among people since the foundation of the world. Therefore, “all who cling to her will live, but those will die who forsake her.” (Baruch 4: 1). Let us then turn and receive “Wisdom” and walk by her light towards splendor as Baruch calls us to. (See Baruch 4: 2-4).

The last Old Testament reading of tonight is the book of the prophet Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 36: 16-17a, 18-28). Like Isaiah and Baruch in our previous readings, Ezekiel also writes his book from the perspective of the Babylonian exile. Ezekiel does not see the Israelites as the victims of the Babylonian conquest. Rather, he holds them responsible for defiling the land and bringing ruin to the nation. (See Ezekiel 36: 16-17a, 18). He even says that it is the Lord himself, not the Babylonians, who scattered the people to captivity, “dispersing them over foreign lands”. (See v. 19). So, God recognizes that the dispersal of the Israelites also defines his name because when the people from other nations see God’s people scattered, they mocked and ridiculed the relationship God has with his chosen ones. To restore the honor of his holy name, God decides to bring Israel back to their own land. (See. V. 24). He made it clear that this decision is not for their sake, but rather for the sake of his holy name.  (See v. 22). We too defile when we sin, whether before or after baptism. This reading calls us to repent and come back to God every time we go astray. Notice what God promises to do to his chosen people as the restoration of his relationship with them: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to clean you from all your impurities, and from all idols, I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.” (Vv. 25-26). This is what happens tonight in this Easter Vigil. The sprinkling of the baptismal water tonight cleanses us from all our sins and restores our relationship with God. We begin this Easter time with a new heart and a new spirit.

We have concluded our contemplation of the mystery of salvation history in seven different stories of the Old Testament. We now turn to the New Testament with the readings from the Epistle and Gospel. We saw how God is intimately involved with the goodness of his creation. He leads his people out of slavery into freedom. In return for all that he has done for us, we are asked to love him and follow his commandments. As we move now to the New Testament readings, we Christians believe that this salvation history that started in the Old Testament comes to a definitive resolution through the incarnation of our Lord Jesus, his life and ministry in our world, and the ultimate gift of his Paschal Mystery (his Passion, Death, and Resurrection).

In his letter to the Romans (Romans 6: 3-11), Saint Paul reminds us that from our baptism, and right now as we renew it tonight, we are baptized into Christ’s death, buried with him, and resurrected with him. So with the Risen Lord, we live now in the newness of life. (See Romans 6: 3-4). “We were buried with Christ through baptism into death” means that we died to ourselves when immersed in the waters of baptism. This means also that we bury all our past, our “old self” so that God raises us to new life. Let us not forget that this “dying with our Lord Jesus and rising up to a new life” is an ongoing process until it is fully realized in eternal life. That is why, every time we feel like we go astray, we must quickly come back to God through the Sacrament of Confession to renew our relationship with God that sins damage.

Our Gospel reading tonight is the account of the resurrection of our Lord according to Matthew. Note that all four Gospels give us the account of the discovery of the empty tomb by women on the first day of the week (Matthew 28: 1-10; Mark 16: 1-6; Luke 24: 1-12; and John 20: 1-18). They differ in the details such as the number of the women, the time of their arrival, the purpose of their visit, whom they met, and what they were told to do. Let us focus here on what Matthew tells us.

Regarding the day, the evangelist says that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb after the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning. Since the sabbath ended at sunset, this could refer to Saturday evening, when Sunday, the first day of the week dawned.  Matthew names two women, and the name of the second one is unknown. The purpose of their visit was not to anoint the body of Jesus but “to see the tomb”. In Jewish practices, people go to see the tomb to mourn. So, here Matthew probably means that the purpose of the visit of these two women was to mourn. This shows how they loved Jesus.

Matthew describes the effects of the resurrection of Jesus: an earthquake (which suggests divine presence (see Exodus 19: 18; Psalms 68: 9; 77: 19)), the angel of the Lord with the appearance of lightning and clothing like snow (also suggests divine presence (see Genesis 16: 7; Exodus 3: 2)), the empty tomb, and the appearance of the Risen Christ. The guards of the tomb were shaken with fear of the angel, and all became like dead men. The first word that the angel told the two women was, “Do not be afraid”. (Matthew 28: 5) Later in v. 10, Jesus will tell them the same words, “Do not be afraid”. Why not be afraid? Because Jesus whom they were seeking “Is not here, for he has been raised just as he said”. Then the angel invited them to enter the tomb and see the empty place. (Matthew 28: 5-6). Many of us experience fear in different ways. Fear regarding our health conditions, jobs, how to rear children, how to take care of elderly parents and grandparents, and many more things. The first message that the Resurrection of our Lord brings us is that we should not be afraid anymore. Why? Because our Lord has Risen, he is alive. The way Jesus overcame all fears and is alive is the same way we too, his followers, will overcome our fears. So let us not be afraid.

After their experience with the angel, these two women did an experience with the Risen Lord himself. On their way back home, Jesus appeared to them and greeted them. Pay attention to the three things that they did: “They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.” (Matthew 28: 9b). The resurrection of our Lord makes us approach Jesus through our brothers and sisters. No more distance between us and Jesus, and between us and our fellow humans. Approaching Jesus leads to embracing his feet and doing him homage. The gesture of embracing Jesus’ feet alludes to the service. Resurrection involves service. We are called to serve Jesus through the people. And “doing him homage” refers to prayer. The resurrection of Christ makes us the men and women of prayer. We are called to adore, praise, and worship our Lord every day.

The resurrection of our Lord involves commission. The angel of the Lord and the Risen Christ himself commissioned these two women to go and announce this good news of the resurrection to the disciples (Matthew 28: 7; 10). As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, you and I become missionaries. We are commissioned to bring this news of the resurrection to all people starting in our families, Church, and neighborhood, especially those who still experience fear. Notice the detail about the urgency of the mission of these two women. The angel of the Lord asks them to go “quickly” to tell this good news. And the narrator comments that they went away “quickly” from the tomb. This teaches us that our mission to reach out to the people around us is urgent. Let us bring them the joy and hope of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ urgently. Let us also bring this news of the resurrection to our Church members who for some reason do not come to Church anymore. The mission of the women of our Gospel was also to announce to Jesus’ disciples to go to Galilee where they would meet Jesus. Our Galilee today is our local Church, Saint Bartholomew/Saint Augustine, where we meet our Lord in the liturgy of the Eucharist (Mass). Then, we are commissioned to reach out to these Church members and tell them that Jesus is inviting them back to “Galilee”, to our Church where he longs to meet them.

The resurrection of Christ restores the fullness of our relationship with God. We can now approach the Risen Lord, embrace his feet by serving him through our brothers and sisters, and do him homage by becoming men and women of prayer. We are now his missionaries who bring this news of the resurrection everywhere we live, especially to those who experience fear and to our Church and family members. We also tell them that Jesus is inviting them back to Church which is our “Galilee” where they can meet and see Jesus in the liturgy of the Eucharist. Amen.  

Happy Easter!

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD 

 

Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday). April 7, 2023

 

Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday). April 7, 2023

Isaiah 52: 13 – 53: 12; Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9; John 18: 1 – 19: 42.

 

Theme: The Holy Cross of Jesus and our own Crosses

Three men (Alexander, Maxwell, and Joseph) needed jobs. As a condition to be hired, their master asked them to travel a long distance on foot, and each needed to carry a big wooden cross to the job site. They started their trip early in the morning. They were excited and determined to get that job. After a couple of hours of traveling, they were tired. Their crosses were heavy to carry. Alexander, the oldest, shared with the group the idea of trimming their crosses in order to make them lighter. Maxwell agreed with him but Joseph, the youngest one, disagreed with them. So, Alexander and Maxwell trimmed their crosses while Joseph decided to carry his entire cross to the destination. Alexander and Maxwell walked faster than Joseph as their crosses became lighter. On the road, these two men trimmed their crosses again and made them lighter than before. Finally, before noon, these two men arrived at the river and saw their master standing on the other side waiting for them. He congratulated them. Noticing that Joseph was not with them, he asked them to find out where he was. These two men told him that their friend was a lazy man, and perhaps he died on the road. So, the master asked them to wait for him anyway before they crossed the river and reached the final destination. Very late in the evening, Joseph arrived with his entire cross. Then, the master asked each man to use his cross as a bridge to cross the river. Note that the crosses were about the size of the river. Alexander and Maxwell who trimmed their crosses could not cross the river because their crosses became too short. Only Joseph who kept his entire cross was able to cross the river and reach the final destination. Alexander and Maxwell begged Joseph to let them use his cross, but the master said that it was not possible.  

Each one of us carries his/her “Christian cross” and we are on our earthly journey to our destination which is heaven. Crossing the river represents our passage from this world to heaven which will take place at the final judgment. The cross represents our faith in Jesus. Each one of us will use his/her own faith (not the faith of the parents, of the children, or someone else’s faith) as a bridge to access the kingdom of heaven. “Trimming” our faith means trying to adjust our faith in the way that we want but not in the way that God wants. This means, our faith is trimmed every time when we sin. Note that it is not wise to continue our spiritual journey with a “trimmed faith” when we know that it will never serve us as a bridge to reach eternal salvation. In this case, what we need to do is to use the Sacrament of Confession anytime we sin because it is in this sacrament of reconciliation that Jesus forgives all our sins and offers us a new “cross” or a new “faith” to resume our spiritual journey.

The Alexander and Maxwell of our story represent people of our time who continue to “trim their crosses/faith”. One of the reasons why people do this is because they avoid suffering and prefer an easy life without Jesus. We know that a life without Jesus leads to eternal condemnation. To help us resist temptations that force us to “trim” or abandon our Christian faith amid our daily suffering, the liturgy of the Passion and Death of Jesus that we celebrate today invites us to reflect on the theme of the Holy Cross of Jesus and our own crosses. This theme is centered on the suffering of an unknown servant of the Lord (first reading), of that of Jesus (the Gospel), and the suffering that you and I endure daily.  

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah sings of the suffering servant, sinless and defenseless, silently facing affliction and condemnation. This reading commences with God claiming this “suffering servant” as “my servant”. Despite his sufferings, God said that “his servant” shall prosper, be raised high, and be greatly exalted. (Isaiah 52: 13). Our suffering will not last eternally. God is telling us that our suffering will end one day, and we will prosper. While the people looked at this suffering man as being punished by God, Isaiah said that it was the infirmities of the people he bore and their sufferings that he endured. Like a sheep, he did not resist nor protest. He suffered in silence. Notice the promise God made to “his servant” if he fulfills his mission and gives his life as an offering for the sins of others: “He shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him.” (Isaiah 53: 10). And his reward is to have a place among the great and to divide the spoils with the mighty. (v. 12). So, for the will of God to be accomplished through us, and for us to have a place among the righteous in God’s kingdom, we are called not to “trim” our cross/faith but to carry it entirely until last day of our earthly lives.

The Church applies all that happened to the “suffering servant” of our first reading to Jesus. Suffering was no less part of Jesus’ life as we heard in the Gospel, the account of the Passion of Jesus according to John. Before his Passion, Jesus went through numerous sufferings. He spent forty days in prayer and fasting in the wilderness, so he experienced hunger. He received rejections, even in his hometown. He went through frustrations several times with his disciples who repeatedly missed the points of his lessons. In his ministry of teaching and healing people, sometimes he needed time for himself to rest, but the crowds kept going to him and making him so busy and overwhelmed. During his passion, as Saint John tells us in today’s Gospel account, our Lord felt abandoned by his closest friends when he was arrested. Judas betrayed him. He is accused unjustly, revealed to the public as a common criminal, tortured, treated as an object of ridicule, and crucified on the cross. We cannot imagine all the suffering of dying on the cross. Our Lord went through a lot before and during his passion. He accepted to suffer and die because of the sins of all of us so that we might be saved. Despite all his suffering, Jesus “did not trim his faith”. He did not disobey God. You and I no doubt experience suffering moments on our own “way of the cross”. We are called not “to trim our cross/faith”, meaning not to disobey God, but to carry it until the end of our earthly pilgrimage.    

The author of our second reading tells us that from all his sufferings, Jesus learned obedience (See Hebrews 4: 15). His suffering is a “Yes” to the call of God. So, his death on the cross is the culmination of a whole life of self-surrender in love and obedience to God. Thus, by meditating on Jesus’ sufferings, we learn how to bear our own sufferings. We are called to face our sufferings with courage and great faith. Our second reading tells us that Jesus “offered prayers and supplication with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” (Hebrew 5: 7). So, we too, any time we go through trials, let us continue calling upon God and he will hear our supplications. We, Christians, believe that since God did not abandon his Son Jesus but raised him from the dead, he will also never abandon us. So, let us not “trim” our cross or abandon our faith because of suffering.

However, when you and I feel like our cross is trimmed (through our sins), and, knowing that it will no longer serve us as a bridge to reach heaven, the letter to the Hebrews that we heard in our second reading exhorts us to “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” (Hebrew 4:16). Here, we are encouraged to go back to Jesus through the sacrament of reconciliation. Confession is the time when we receive the grace of forgiveness of all our sins, renew our relationship with God, get a brand new cross/faith, and resume our spiritual trip.

May the Holy Cross of Jesus that we will soon venerate today help each of us to grow up in our relationship with God even amid suffering and so enable us to carry our own ‘crosses” entirely until the end of our earthly lives. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

 

Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper. April 6, 2023

 

Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper. April 6, 2023

Exodus 12: 1-8, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26; John 13: 1-15

 

Theme: Holy Eucharist, Priestly Order, and Fraternal Charity

With this Mass of the Lord’s Supper, we have started the Paschal Triduum (this is the three Holy Days namely the Holy Thursday, Holy Friday (Good Friday), and Holy Saturday) which will close with evening prayer on Easter Day. The Holy Thursday Mass is the commemoration of the first-ever Mass Jesus celebrated with his disciples at the Last Supper Meal. “Last Supper” refers to the last time Jesus celebrated the Jewish feast of “Passover” with his disciples, the night before he was arrested and crucified. The first reading that we heard describes how the chosen people, by God’s command, celebrated this Passover feast for the first time. In our second reading, Saint Paul tells us that at the Last Supper meal with his disciples, our Lord Jesus instituted two sacraments: the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Priestly Order. In addition to these two sacraments, Jesus also left to his disciples and us the commandment of Fraternal Charity when he washed his disciples' feet as John reports to us in his version account of the Last Supper that we heard in the Gospel reading.   

The first reading we heard has two parts. The first part (Exodus 12: 1-8) is God’s prescription of the Passover Ritual. Here, God explained the instructions to Moses and Aaron regarding the annual celebration of Passover for generations to come. The second part (Exodus 12: 11-14) is the “Promulgation of the Passover”. God ordered Moses and Aaron to implement some of these instructions immediately the night before the execution of the tenth plague upon Egypt. That was the first Passover meal. Each family was recommended to slaughter a one-year-old unblemished lamb, apply its blood to the doorposts of every house of the Israelites, and eat the roasted meat of the Lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. While eating, they were commanded to have their loins girt, sandals on their feet, and their staff in hand as if they were in flight. This meal was called “Passover” for more than one reason. First, the blood of the lamb that the Israelites applied to their doorposts led the angel of the Lord to “Pass Over” their houses (their firstborns were not killed) when God killed the firstborn males of the land of Egypt. Second, the Passover also symbolized the beginning of the “passing over” of the people of Israel from Pharaoh’s authority to God’s protection, from slavery to freedom, and from death to new life. Even today, each spring, the Jewish community celebrates this feast of Passover as a memorial of their ancestors’ liberation from bondage in Egypt.  A lamb is sacrificed in the Temple and the sacrificial repast is followed at home. This memorial is much more than just looking back to the past. They identify themselves with those who did leave Egypt. From generation to generation, every Jew must consider himself as having personally gone out of Egypt and being delivered by God. Past and present coincide. We, Christians, celebrate the feast of Passover in the liturgy of the Holy Eucharist that Jesus instituted on this day.

As a Jew, Jesus too celebrated the feast of Passover every year. Saint Paul (second reading) and Saint John (Gospel) talk about the last time Jesus celebrated this Jewish memorial feast with his disciples. That was the night before his arrest and crucifixion. Saint Paul reminds the Christians of Corinth and each of us of the actions and words of the Lord during this Last Supper: Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. He did the same way with the cup. He said that this cup is the new covenant in his blood”.  He then recommended his disciples to do the same celebration often and often. He told them that every time they eat this bread and drink the cup, they proclaim his death until he comes again. With these words and actions, Jesus instituted the sacraments of the Eucharist and Priestly Order. This is what we continue to do until today in the liturgy of the Eucharist and in the ministry of the priesthood. We need to know that whenever you and I participate in Mass, we share the Body and Blood of Christ and proclaim the death of the Lord Jesus, our Paschal sacrifice who offered his life to free us from the bondage of sin. This is the vertical dimension of the Eucharist.

Saint John gives us his version of the same Last Supper account in our Gospel. He mentions another event that Jesus did before he instituted the Eucharist and Holy Order. For Saint John, Jesus got down on his knees, washed the feet of his disciples, and commanded them to do the same to one another. (John 13: 15). In addition to the Eucharist and Priestly Order, here Jesus left us a commandment of Fraternal Charity which is the horizontal dimension of the Eucharist. The “Passover” gets another meaning here: We are called to “pass over” from our self-centeredness to other-centeredness.

Tonight, as we celebrate the mass of the Last Supper, Jesus commends us to continue celebrating the same Mass in his remembrance. So, every time that you and I attend the liturgy of the Eucharist, we know now that we do it in Jesus’ remembrance. Like the Jewish Passover, our Mass also is much more than just looking back to this first Mass in the past. Rather, at each Mass we attend, we identify ourselves with the disciples and participate in the present to this first Mass that Jesus celebrated at the Last Supper. In other words, each Mass that we attend is this Mass of the Last Supper that Jesus himself celebrates through the priest.

May the liturgy of this Mass of the Lord’s Supper inspire us to always “remember our Lord” by participating in the celebrations of the Eucharist (especially on Sundays) as well as doing the works of fraternal charity to other people. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023

 

Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023

Mt 21: 1-11; Is 50: 4-7; Phil 2: 6-11; Mt 26: 14 – 27: 66.

 

Theme: Suffering, Death, and Life Belong Together

Our Forty-day Lenten Journey is concluded. I hope each one of us had a chance to strengthen his/her relationship with our Lord through Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. Today, we start the Holy Week with this Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.  In this Mass, we commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem before he endures his passion.

Jesus entered his own city of Jerusalem to accomplish the Paschal Mystery that is his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Today’s Mass starts with a triumphal entry. This triumphal entry at the beginning of the passion week means that Suffering, Death, and Resurrection belong together.

 

Gospel at the Procession with Palms (Matthew 21: 1-11)

 

Matthew is the only Evangelist who recounts that Jesus enters Jerusalem, riding on an ass and a colt. During our Bible study last Wednesday, we discussed how is it possible that Jesus could ride on two animals at once. Some thought that maybe he rode on one animal only and just touched the second one. Another possibility is that he took turns with each animal. But what does Matthew say? His answer is not on “how” but on “why” of the two animals. Quoting Zechariah 9: 9, he says that this is to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: “Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matthew 21: 5). According to the prediction of Zachariah, a future son of David would enter Jerusalem riding on an ass the same way as Salomon did for his coronation (see 1 Kings 1: 33, 38).  By mentioning two animals here, Matthew intends to tell his audience that Jesus is both a Prophet and the fulfillment of prophecy. Notice how the crowds speak of Jesus, “This is Jesus the prophet.” (Matthew 21: 11a).

The very large crowd spread their cloaks and branches on the road while preceding Jesus. Note that one’s cloak was precious, especially for the poor, as it was used as a coat to keep out the cold and as a sleeping bag. It was very painful for the poor people when the lenders took their clothes as security for a loan. (See Exodus 22: 26; Deuteronomy 24: 13). By mentioning the cloaks here, Matthew wants us to see how these crowds who accompanied Jesus were willing to give all they had to support him in his mission. You and I are gathered here to do the same thing. Let us show Jesus that we too are willing to support the mission of his Church. Holding Branches is the symbol of joy. So, like these crowds, let us process to the Church with the songs of praise: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (v. 9).

 

Readings at Mass

Since we are in liturgical Year A, we read in today’s Gospel the entire account of Jesus’ arrest, passion, and death according to the Gospel of Matthew. This narrative is full of important lessons, so we should not get overwhelmed due to its length. I selected some points to guide our meditation.

First, Matthew tells us that Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. This alludes to the sale of Joseph, the son of Jacob, by his brothers to the Midianites. Joseph ended up in prison in Egypt before he became an important person who saved, not only his family but many people during the period of great famine. By mentioning the sale of Jesus in this account, Matthew, who wrote his Gospel to the Jewish community, intends to let them and each of us know that Jesus is the new Joseph who will save the world through his Holy Cross.

Second, at the Last Supper celebration with his friends, Jesus shared the cup of wine with them and said, “This is my blood of the covenant.” This phrase refers to the solemnization ceremony of the covenant between God and the people of Israel that Moses celebrated on Mount Sinai. He sprinkled the twelve tribes with blood and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you” (Exodus 24: 8). Jesus repeats these same words to mean that He is the new Moses. His blood that will be shed on the cross this Friday marks a new, better, and last covenant between God and us his children.

Third, Matthew recounts that Jesus prays in the Garden. He feels sorrow and distress. Three times Jesus prayed to his Father, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” And three times he commanded Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to watch and pray. Three times they were not able to do so as they were falling asleep. Jesus continues to command you and me to watch and pray when we face our own suffering. Let us imitate our Lord. Prayer strengthens our faith and enables us to accept God’s will. I now think of all those who are carrying their crosses of illness, poverty, and different sufferings. May God help them to discern and accept that the will of God be done in their lives.

Fourth, when Judas arrived with the soldiers to arrest Jesus, all the disciples fled. Jesus was abandoned at the time he needed the support of his friends the most. When we attend the stations of the cross, we show Jesus that we support him and want to share his suffering. Are we like these disciples who abandon the “Jesus” of our time? This passage calls us to support Jesus through our fellow humans in hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and all those who are in need.

Fifth, the crowds are given two options: Do they want Pilate to liberate Jesus or Barabbas? All choose Barabbas and request the condemnation of Jesus. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations in which we need to choose between doing something that testifies to our faith in Jesus and another thing that is bad or that is just for leisure. May God inspire us in our decision-making.

Sixth, on the cross, Jesus pushes a cry of suffering, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. Here Jesus quotes Psalm 22. This is not a cry of despair. Rather, it shows us that although God, Jesus is also one hundred percent human who endured this suffering. In our own suffering, let us not despair. Jesus teaches us here to call upon God, our Father.

Through this account of the arrest, passion, and death of Jesus, the Church, our Mother teaches us that Jesus accepted this suffering for the salvation of the world. As Christians, you and I are called to continue to extend this salvation to other people even if it costs us to carry our crosses. Suffering is part of our human life. We are called to keep our faith and continue this mission of the Church amid all the trials that we face. In addition to the example of Jesus that we have learned from the Gospel account, the third song of the Servant of Yahweh we heard in today’s first reading also gives us the courage to accept our own suffering. And, Saint Paul, in today’s second reading, reminds us that suffering and death constitute a passage to exaltation. Good Friday and Easter belong together even in our lives. Amen.

I wish all of you a prayerful Holy Week!

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD