Passion Sunday

This Sunday is special. On this Sunday we begin the one week in the year which we call “Holy”. This week is “Holy” because the events of this week are at the heart of the meaning of all human life and all human history. All history before Christ led up to Him, and since His coming, all history takes its meaning from Him. The events of this week reveal to us God’s master plan for saving the human race. This plan was fulfilled in the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This we call the “Paschal Mystery.” Through the events of Holy Week, God established a New Covenant with mankind and sealed it by the Blood of Jesus on the Cross. The Cross stands at the center of human history, as a sign of God’s love for the human family! The cross reveals to us God’s saving power, and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul says, in his beautiful hymn of praise, that: “Jesus became obedient unto death, death on a cross. Because of this God greatly exalted him, and gave him a name above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend of those in heaven and on earth, and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11) On this week we celebrate the central mystery of our Christian Faith: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” We not only celebrate these events as a part of the history of salvation, we celebrate them as ever-present realities at work in our lives.

On the night before he died, Jesus took bread and wine, changed them into his body and blood and told us to celebrate his Death and Resurrection as an everlasting memorial. (Luke 22:19) And so, on Holy Thursday we celebrate the gift of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as the great gift to his people, by which we renew in a sacramental way the sacrifice of Calvary and celebrate the Crucified and Risen Jesus as the New Paschal Lamb, by whose wounds we are healed. We also in that great memorial celebrate the gift of the priesthood, by which we can offer that sacrifice of worship and praise.

On Good Friday we remember the death of Jesus, as revealing God’s great love for us. The cross is not only God’s way of saying: “This is how much I love you.” The cross is part of every human life! We, our loved ones, and people all around the world endure suffering, cruelty and violence, injustice and death. The cross of Jesus gives us the courage to carry our crosses. As the cross of Jesus was the saving power of God at work, so our sufferings can bring blessings to others. When we offer our crosses in union with Jesus, we gain the graces other people need to help carry their crosses. That is what Saint Paul meant when he wrote: “I make up in my body, what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” (Colossians 1:24) When we gaze upon the cross we are reminded that God raised Jesus from the dead, and gave him “a name above every other name.” (Philippians 2:9) The cross gives us hope and courage in time of trials, because God’s power can do all things. When we look upon the cross and remember all who carry heavy crosses, our prayers, support and compassion go out to them. The cross reminds us that God in through Jesus Christ has liberated us: “Lord by Your Cross and Resurrection, You have set us free, You are the Savior of the World.”

On the Easter Vigil, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus as the Savior and Light of the World. On this night we see the power of God, which freed the Hebrew people from slavery, at work in Jesus. God’s power not only raises Jesus to new life and glory, but raises us up in union with Him to new life in the Risen Lord. For us that happened on the day of our baptism, so at our Easter Masses we renew our baptismal promises to be faithful to the Lord Jesus, who is our Paschal Lamb, and whose wounds heal and save us.