April 16-17, 2011
PALM/PASSION SUNDAY
Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14-27
The recent images of the Japanese tsunami pouring devilishly black and thickly appearing water through placid city streets, tossing aside cars and upending entire homes was horrific. The unfolding news of potential nuclear meltdown prompted frightened monitoring on our American shores for signs of potential radiation poisoning.
The long strands of names suspended from our rafters each Memorial Day weekend strike a different cord of pain within our American hearts as we gaze upon the thousands of American families whose lives have been ruined by war. A not infrequent occurrence in many an office is the Monday morning sharing around the coffee pot of the events of the weekend, some stories fun and festive, some frivolous and light, some painful and dark. This weekend we gather to hear for the first time in this HOLY WEEK the retelling of the story of the PASSION and DEATH of Jesus of Nazareth. We open with the images of a meal…a dinner at which most of the participants had no idea of the pain, betrayal and loss that would unfold within 24 hours. We hear of the revulsion of the crowds to the man who had healed, extended compassion to the afflicted and life to the dead. We remind ourselves of the depths to which we will go to humiliate someone we choose to make a pariah. We hear of the death of someone who challenged the system that kept people enslaved to rituals and rules, the stilling of the voice that gave us permission to call God ‘daddy’/abba. Within this story are vestiges of our own painful remembrances: of being called names or being bullied in school, of having our heart broken by those who betrayed our trust, of being abandoned by those on whom we hoped we could count, of being hung out for humiliation by quirks of the economy or simply being too old to matter anymore in a culture that favors the young.
Each of us gathered today hears the PASSION of JESUS as filtered through our own experience and thus it is supposed to be. For, within the painful recollection of these events are the seeds of resurrection, hope, acceptance and eventual joy. As we are called to see the reflection of Jesus shining within ourselves, so we are prompted to see the potential for resurrection, hope, acceptance and joy within the tragedies of our own experiences. Jesus’ story is our story…..our story is that of Jesus.
If we are to eventually walk from our own tombs we must first be clearly mindful of the events that have sucked life from our souls: the stories we cannot forget, the images burned into our memories of when laughter was replaced by wails and tears were not from mirth but loss. On Palm/Passion Sunday we are invited to enter into a week of stories…stories that will indeed be painful but stories that hold the power to transform us from what we have been into who we will be.
Thank you for joining with our Corpus Christi Catholic-Christian Community as we enter our High Holy Days. Please feel free to strip off some of the Blessed Palm fronds from the branches on the courtyard for your own personal use in your homes or places of business. The Bulletin has the full schedule for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday (Vigil at 7 – no 5:00 p.m. Mass) and Easter Sunday at 8, 10 and 12 Noon. Please note all the SUNDAY Masses will be supremely crowded…plan accordingly. Next weekend, being the last full weekend of the month is also our food collection opportunity for South County Outreach, please bring your non-perishable items with you…a nice Easter gift to those who have little.
As always, we once again need your help in making our Easter celebrations bright and colorful…please bring your donation of potted EASTER LILLIES or other SPRING FLOWERS and drop them off in the kitchen no later than this Friday. THANKS! On Easter Sunday, parking is permissible on both sides of Aliso Viejo Parkway. Remember, next week will bring together lots of people who may be joining with us for the first time…let’s put on our brightest smiles and most engaging personalities…and provide them with 1000 reasons to come back after the holiday and know what each of you already know…that you are loved. FKB
