The Passion, which we read in the liturgy of Palm Sunday, is too long to be commented on in detail, so we will only examine a portion of it here.
It can be useful to examine the problems associated with the more moderate range of personalities involved. The usual villains (the Temple leaders, Judas, and the recruited crowd shouting "Crucify him!") are unambiguous and openly display their sin. But there are other people involved whose struggles and negligence are more subtle, but no less real. It is by examining these characters that we can learn much about ourselves, who, even if we are not openly shouting "Crucify him," are often not as clearly holy and heroic as Jesus's persecutors are wicked and bold.
In reading the Passion, we must understand that it is not merely an account of the behavior of people long gone; it is a portrait of you and me; we do these things.
I. Partial Perception – Toward the beginning of today's Passion narrative, the apostles, who are at the Last Supper with Jesus, are reminded of what the coming days will be. Jesus says:
"This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee."
Note that this is not the first time the apostles have heard these words; Jesus has already spoken them on several occasions:
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be put to death, and rise on the third day (Mt 16:21).
When they were together in Galilee, he said to them:
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day. And the disciples were overwhelmed with grief" (Mt 17:22-23).
"We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day" (Mt 20:18-19).
We see, then, that the Lord has constantly tried to teach and prepare them for the difficulties ahead. He told them exactly what would happen and how it would end: not in death, but in resurrection to new life. But although he repeated it to them over and over, they still do not understand. This is why he predicts that their faith in him will be shaken.
Their perception is partial. They will see only the negative, forgetting that Jesus promised to rise. Because they cannot see beyond the apparent defeat of the moment, they will retreat in fear instead of accompanying him boldly and confidently in his passion and glorification (for his passion is an elevation; it is his glorification). Instead, they will flee. He showed them "what the end shall be," but they can neither see it nor accept it. Thus, fear overwhelms them and they withdraw in sinful fear, dissociating from Jesus. Only a few (Mary, his mother, John, Mary Magdalene, and a few other women) will see it through to the end.
As for the others, they see only what is bloody and horrible, without seeing what is glorious and awe-inspiring. Their perception is very partial. Paradoxically, their blindness comes from the fact that they do not hear or listen to what Jesus has been telling them from the beginning.
We, too, can easily suffer from blindness caused by poor listening. The Lord has often told us that if we trust him, our struggles will end in glory and new life. But, blind and forgetful, we give in to our fears and do not walk boldly on the path of Christ's passion. We withdraw and dissociate from Jesus, showing some of the tendencies we will observe in the people of that day.
Let us now examine some of the problems that arise from this partial perception and forgetful fear.
II. The Problems Presented – There are at least five problems that emerge. These are unhealthy and sinful patterns that stem from the fear generated by a lack of trust in Jesus's vision. Please understand that the word "we" used here is a shorthand and does not mean that every person acts this way. Rather, it means we collectively have these tendencies. There is no need to take everything said here personally.
- They Become Drowsy – A common human technique for dealing with the stress and difficulties of life is to numb ourselves and become drowsy; we can simply sink into a kind of moral sleep. Vigilance regarding the threat sin poses to our soul or the evil caused by injustice (whether to ourselves or to others) is simply too stressful, so we "disconnect." We stop noticing or even caring about matters of crucial importance. We anesthetize ourselves with alcohol, drugs, comfort, and meaningless distractions. Prayer and spirituality pose too many embarrassing questions, so we content ourselves with daydreaming about trivial things like what a certain Hollywood star is doing or how the latest sporting event is going.
In the Passion accounts, the Lord asks Peter, James, and John to pray with him. But they doze off. This may be due to the wine. It is certainly the flesh (for the Lord speaks of it). Unwilling or unable to handle the stress of the situation, they doze off and fall asleep. Misfortune is at the door, but they sleep. The Lord warns them to stay awake, lest they give in to temptation, but they sleep anyway. Someone they know and love is in great danger, but it is too much for them. They turn a deaf ear, much as we do in the face of the overwhelming suffering of Christ, visible in the poor and needy. We stop noticing it; it is too painful, so we turn a deaf ear.
The Lord had often warned them to be vigilant, sober, and attentive (Mk 13:34; Mt 25:13; Mk 13:37; Mt 24:42; Lk 21:36, etc.). Other biblical texts will later take up this theme (Romans 13:11; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Thess 5:6, etc.). Yes, drowsiness is a serious spiritual problem.
Unfortunately, God described us well when he said to Isaiah:
"Israel's sentinels are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie down and dream, they love to sleep" (Is 56:10).
We act this way not only out of laziness, but also out of fear. One strategy is to try to ignore it, to numb ourselves, to disconnect. But despite the disciples' drowsiness, the wicked are still awake; the threat does not disappear through sleepy inattention. This is why we must be confident and sober. The challenges of life are not to be feared. The Lord has told us that we have already won if we trust him. The disciples forgot Jesus's promise to rise after three days; we often do the same. So, they give in to stress, and we, too, disconnect.
- They Seek to Destroy – When Peter finally wakes up, he brandishes a sword and wounds Malchus, the servant of the high priest. The Lord rebukes Peter and reminds him of his vision: "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" (John 18:11). Jesus then heals Malchus, whom tradition says later became a disciple.
In our fear, we too can lash out and even seek to destroy our adversaries. But if we are already certain of our victory, as the Lord promised, why are we afraid? Why do we need to ruthlessly suppress our adversaries and enemies? It is one thing to speak the truth in love, with boldness and confidence. But it is another to lash out aggressively and seek to win a debate. In doing so, we risk losing a soul. The Lord healed Malchus, seeing in him a future disciple. The Lord saw what the end would be. Peter did not see it. In his fear, he lashed out with an aggressiveness that did not testify to confidence in the final victory.
It is true that we are called to confront evil, resist injustice, and speak with clarity to a confused world. But above all, we are called to love those to whom we speak. Fear has no place in our conversations with the world. The truth will come out; it will prevail. We may not win every encounter, but we are not required to; all we must do is plant seeds. God will water them and others may harvest them. In Christ, we have already won. This confidence should make us serene.
Peter forgot Jesus's promise to rise after three days; we often do the same. So Peter, and we too, give in to fear and lash out, driven by a desire to win when in fact we have already won.
- They Deny – Confronted with the frightening prospect of being condemned along with Jesus, Peter denies being one of his disciples or even knowing him. He dissociates from Christ. And we, faced with the possibility of much milder things such as ridicule, often deny any connection with the Lord or the Church.
Regarding one of the more controversial teachings of Scripture (e.g., the command to tithe, the prohibition of divorce, fornication, and homosexual activity), someone might ask:
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
It is very easy to give in to fear and answer "No" or to nuance our belief. Why suffer ridicule, endure further questions, or be drawn into an unpleasant debate? So we dissociate, compromise, or nuance our faith to avoid stress. We even congratulate ourselves for being tolerant when we do so!
Jesus says:
"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels" (Mk 8:38).
But we are too easily ashamed. So, like Peter, we engage in a form of denial. Peter is afraid because he forgot to "see what the end shall be." He forgot Jesus's promise to rise after three days; we often do the same. We lack confidence and give in to fear; we deny to avoid suffering with Jesus.
- They Flee – When Jesus is arrested, all the disciples, except John, "separate." They "go away." They are nowhere to be found. After Jesus's arrest, it is said that Peter (before his denials) was following the Lord at a distance (Mk 14:54). But as soon as trouble arose, he "fled."
We, too, can flee. Sometimes it is due to persecution from the world. But sometimes it is because we fear that following the Lord is too difficult and involves sacrifices we are not ready to make. Perhaps it would jeopardize our money (the Lord insists that we tithe and be generous to the poor). Perhaps it will jeopardize our playboy lifestyle (the Lord insists on chastity and respect). Perhaps we do not want to stop doing something we have no right to do, something unjust, excessive, or sinful. But rather than confront our fears, whether they come from within or without, we run away.
The disciples forgot that Jesus showed them "what the end shall be." In three days, he will win the victory. But, this forgotten, their fears emerge and they flee. We, too, must see "what the end shall be" in order to confront and resist our many fears.
- They Pass the Buck – In this case, our example is Pontius Pilate, not one of the disciples. Pilate was called to faith like everyone else. "Are you a king?" he asks Jesus. Jesus responds by putting Pilate on trial:
"Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?"
Pilate has a choice to make: accept that what Jesus says is true, or give in to fear and commit a terrible sin of injustice. The different scriptural accounts all clearly show that Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. But because he feared the crowds, he handed Jesus over.
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Note that Pilate acted this way. The crowds tempted him with fear, but it was he who condemned. However, notice that he tries to pass the buck for his choice. The text says he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd.
"I am innocent of this man's blood," he says. "It is your responsibility" (Matthew 27:24).
In fact, Pilate, it is your responsibility, too. You had a choice and you made it. Your own career and your own skin were more important to you than justice. And although you wanted to do what was right and had sympathy for Jesus, wanting to do what is right is not enough.
The same is true for us. We often prioritize our career or our hide rather than doing what is right. And in doing so, we often blame others for what we have freely chosen. "I am not responsible because my mother dropped me on my head when I was two years old."
We are often willing to say, in effect:
"Look, Jesus, I love you. You have my Sundays and my tithe, and I obey you (generally, anyway). But you have to understand that I have a career; I need to earn money for my family. If I really stand up for what is right, I might not succeed in this world. You understand, don't you? I know the company I work for does unjust things. I know the world needs a clearer witness from me. I will do all that – after I retire. But for now, well, you know… Besides, it's really my boss who is to blame. It's this old world of hell and sin that is to blame, not me!"
We try to wash our hands of all responsibility. We excuse our silence and inaction in the face of injustice and sin.
And all this is done out of fear. We forget "what the end shall be" and focus on the frightening present. We lack the vision Jesus is trying to give us: we will rise with him. We remain blind to that and see only the threat of the present.
III. The Prescribed Way – You should now know the prescribed way: see what the end shall be. In three days, we rise! Why are we afraid? Jesus has already won the victory. It is true that we get there by the cross, but let us never forget what the end shall be! Today we read the Gospel of Friday, but wait for Sunday morning! I rise!
We end where we began with this Gospel: This night the faith of all of you will be shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.
Yes, after being raised, he goes before us to Galilee. And for us, Galilee is heaven. Whatever our sorrows, if we are faithful, we will see Jesus in the Galilee of Heaven. Never forget this vision. After three days, we will rise with Him and be reunited with Him in the Galilee of Heaven.
So take courage; see what the end shall be! The end, for those who are faithful, is total victory. We do not need to become drowsy, destroy, deny, flee, or pass the buck; we have already won. All that remains for us to do is to stand firm.
This homily was originally published in English by Monsignor Charles Pope – ADW – Article link.