Homily For Sunday - April 17, 2011

PASSION PALM SUNDAY (A)

THE DRAMA RECORDED IN THIS PASSION READING IS A BITING COMMENTARY ON HUMAN FICKLENESS. WE WITNESS THE FACELESS CROWD AT ONE MOMENT PROCLAIMING “HOSANNAHS” TO JESUS AND IN THE NEXT DEMANDING HIS CRUCIFIXION. WE OBSERVE THE JEWISH LEADERS WHO WOULD PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS AT WHATEVER PRICE, AND THE ROMAN GOVERNOR, PILATE, WHO WOULD SACRIFICE JUSTICE for POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY. AND THEN, EVEN MORE PAINFULLY, WE NOTE THAT JUDAS BETRAYS JESUS, PETER DENIES HIM, AND HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS ABANDON HIM.
WE COULD LIKELY PROVIDE OUR OWN STORIES OF HOW WE HAVE EXPERIENCED FICKLENESS AND BETRAYAL AT OTHER PEOPLE’S HANDS, EVEN THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DEAR TO US. SOME OF US MAY BEAR SCARS OF MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, AND EVEN PHYSICAL ABUSE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF WE ARE HONEST WITH OURSELVES, WE MIGHT PROVIDE EXAMPLES OF OUR OWN FICKLENESS, OF HOW OTHERS HAVE SUFFERED FROM OUR MISUSE AND NEGLECT. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN WE BETRAYED OUR IDEALS AND ABANDONED OUR FRIENDS. TIMES WE JOINED THE CROWD AND GAVE IN TO PUBLIC SENTIMENT, JUDGING OR CONDEMNING PEOPLE WE KNEW LITTLE ABOUT. TIMES WE OPTED FOR EXPEDIENCY BY FINDING REFUGE IN A LIE. TIMES WE PROTECTED OUR INTERESTS BY DOING ALL IN OUR POWER TO PUT DOWN OUR COMPETITION. HUMAN NATURE MAKES US ALL PARTNERS IN WEAKNESS. HOW ARE WE TO BE SAVED?
THROUGH ALL HIS EXPERIENCE OF FICKLENESS AND BETRAYAL, JESUS KEEPS HIS PEACE AND DIES ON THE CROSS WITH WORDS OF COMPASSION AND FORGIVENESS. THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF PASSION SUNDAY; COMPASSION FOR HUMAN WEAKNESS AND FORGIVENESS FOR HUMAN FICKLENESS. THE LORD KNOWS THE HUMAN HEART. COMPASSION ALLOWS HIM TO EMBRACE HUMANITY, AS IT IS: EASILY AMBIVALENT AND PRONE TO WEAKNESS.
WHAT ALLOWS FOR COMPASSION IS THE IMMEASURABLE GOODNESS IN ALL OF US. THE GOODNESS OFTEN COMES OUT IN SURPRISING WAYS. SCROOGES BECOME PLEASANT PEOPLE. ENEMIES BECOME CLOSE FRIENDS. HATRED TURNS INTO LOVE. GOSSIP BECOMES GOOD NEWS ON OUR LIPS, AND CURSES BECOME BLESSINGS. HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT SET IN STONE. WE ARE PLIABLE, ADAPTABLE, AND CONSTANTLY SUBJECT TO CHANGE. WHEN WE ARE UNDER ATTACK, THE WORST IN US USUALLY COMES OUT, BUT WHEN WE ARE IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE, THE BEST IN US COMES OUT. COMPASSION, THEREFORE, NOT CONDEMNATION OR COUNTERATTACK, IS WHAT IS CALLED FOR, A COMPASSION THAT ARISES FROM AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE ARE AS HUMAN BEINGS AND WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF, BOTH BAD AND GOOD. COMPASSION CREATES THE ATMOSPHERE OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE THAT ALLOWS THE GOOD IN US, AND OTHERS, TO BLOSSOM. THIS IS THE COMPASSION THAT REDEEMS FALLEN HUMAN NATURE. THE COMPASSION OF JESUS FAR OUTWEIGHED THE FICKLENESS OF HIS FRIENDS, AND ENEMIES. IT WAS WHY HE BECAME SAVIOR.
THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS SHOULD ENCOURAGE US TO EMBRACE HIS COMPASSIONATE ATTITUDE TOWARD HUMAN FICKLENESS: COMPASSION FOR THE PILATES, JUDASES, AND PETERS IN OUR LIVES. COMPASSION FOR A SPOUSE WHO GETS IRRITABLE, FOR CHILDREN WHO GO ASTRAY, FOR PARENTS WHO CAN’T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND. COMPASSION FOR THE WEAKNESSES OF A SINNER, THE COMPULSIONS OF AN ADDICT, AND THE CRUELTY OF THOSE WHO WOULD OPPRESS US. COMPASSION FOR YOURSELF WHEN YOU STUMBLE AND FALL. COMPASSION IS THE HEART OF REDEMPTION BECAUSE IT IS THE HEALING ANOINTMENT THAT BRINGS FORTH THE GOODNESS IN US ALL.