Homily: Palm Sunday: 2007

We are all connected. We are not on this earth to "go it alone," "me and Jesus," so to speak. Today's first reading form the book of Isaiah "I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting" should make us think of St. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch, you remember, was reading a similar passage in Isaiah when Philip asked him: "Do you understand what you are reading?" He said, "How can I, sir, unless someone guides me?" How can I, unless someone guides me? That alone, even without all the rest of the evidence, deals a death-blow to sola scriptura . . . the "all we need is the Bible" theory of religion. We need guides, we need teachers we can ask, we need each other.

The second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians reminds us 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." That puts me in mind of an old story. A man had been baptized and raised Catholic but had long since abandoned his faith. He fell sick and was taken to a Catholic hospital for treatment. While there, another patient was brought in to his room. This second man was having a hard time. He started swearing a blue streak, using every bad word in the book and repeatedly using the Lord's name in vain. Once he was finally calmed down, the nun came over to the first man and said, "Would you like to see a priest?" "Oh, I'm not Catholic," he said. "But I was raised one. How did you know?" The nun just smiled and said, "Every time he said Jesus' name, you bowed your head."
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And finally, what can we say about the whole Passion of Our Lord? Well, homilists don't usually like to speak personally, but they needn't fear. I know I for one always look forward to a little personal word or two from my priest when I know he's just gotten back from a trip or a pilgrimage, for instance. So, let me just say that this past week was a red-letter one for me. Somebody did me a huge kindness. And it got me thinking. It was a tremendous loan and I now have the great good privilege and responsibility to pay it back. If someone saves your life, if someone does you a good turn, if someone helps you out with a loan, you must pay it back somehow, even if it is a pale shadow of the good that was done to you. Deep down we all know this. And so shoulder the Cross behind Jesus and help someone out! I think Simon of Cyrene gets a bad rap sometimes. I've been to Stations of the Cross where we pray NOT to be like him. Padre Pio even castigated him. Well, I get that he was forced into doing it by the circumstance (the Roman soldiers), but still he did it. I WANT to be like him; I want to help Jesus out -- and Jesus in my brother -- even if I require a little nudge to do it. So should we all. Have a good Holy Week.