Palm Sunday, March 16, 2008

Homily, Palm Sunday, March 16, 2008

You probably all know the story of Little Johnny. Little Johnny was a second grader at a Lutheran school. Little Johnny's performance at school was not remarkable, to say the least. To tell the truth, his grades were very disappointing. And his parents really had high hopes for him. His average grade was an E, meaning he ranged from D to F. He even complained about his homework, how it left him not enough play tome. As a consequence his parents decided they were going to do something about it.

So, they decided to change Little Johnny's school. They decided they will send Little Johnny to St. Mary's Catholic Grade School. They hoped that maybe changing the school environment could help change Little Johnny's grades for the better.

When Little Johnny arrived at St. Mary's Catholic School, as soon as he stepped past the school door, Little Johnny's Jaw dropped. His backpack dropped as well, and he stood there for about 60 seconds gazing at the Crucifix hanging down from the school dome. The next thing was him falling backward. He could have hit the deck were it not for Sr. Ursuline, the Principal, who was standing right behind Little Johnny waiting for him to finish his adoration of the Holy Cross, before she could greet and welcome him.

Little Johnny was escorted to his class. Suddenly, Little Johnny's grades soared up. At the end of the year, Little Johnny graduated top of his class. His parents were overjoyed at seeing this. They were exchanging the high fives, saying “We did the right thing. We knew that if we changed the environment, our son would do well.” On a second thought they said, either the catholics are all so dump to be topped by our son; or Catholics are so good at teaching that our dump son improved dramatically. To sort this problem out, they decided to ask their son what happened.

Little Johnny said, “Well, See! The moment I stepped into the entrance of that school, and saw that man hanging from the dome; and in the cafeteria, in the gym, in the study hall, in the classrooms, in the bathrooms – and saw that man on the cross, I knew that here, these Catholics don't mess around. They are darn serious. I better shape up or I will end up there with him.”

See! Little Johnny had seen the Cross but never seen the Crucifix ever before. See! The difference between the cross and the crucifix is that a cross doesn't have anyone fixed on it. In the Lutheran Church there are crosses but no crucifixes.

So, for Little Johnny to come to a Catholic school and find a crucifix meant these Catholics are very serious. They don't play/mess around. They will nail you if you don't shape up.

So, Little Johnny did his homework, and never complained, however much homework he got.

Even though, Little Johnny, got the wrong idea about the Catholic Crucifix, the fact of the matter is that he was not taking up his cross. He was running away from his student cross ... not doing his homework. Until he got to the Catholic grade school. Then he started picking up his cross of being a good, hardworking student. The results were evident. He was exalted top of his class.

TAKING UP ONE'S CROSS WITH GRACE

One thing that sticks out is how Our Lord carried his cross with grace. He died with class.

They say the test of character and greatness is in how a man/woman handles him/herself in time of stress.

Our Lord died with gentleness of heart, grace, without a speck of bitterness on his part.

Little Wonder that the Day of His Death is rightly called Not the Bad Friday, but the Good Friday.

He could turn plain water into smooth, sweet smelling wine.

A bitter lemon (He could turn) into lemonade.

Mere bread into his own flesh, so He could continuously touch and warm us.

Mere wine into his own blood, so that He could endlessly feel and heal us.

Even in the darkness of his suffering, He glowed and shone like a bright star. “From Noon onward, Darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.”

Our Lord was like sugar cane. The more you crush it, the more you squeeze it, the more sweetness He produced.

He was crushed, crushed and squeezed with the cross, nails and crown of thorns, but His body only oozed the blood of love, warmth.

He responded with compassion to the women of Jerusalem who came to him crying for him, and still had in him words of consolation for them.

“Greater love no man has than to lay down his life for his friends.”

But He exceeded that record. He forgave His very torturers, His enemies.

Laying us an example of what the Greatest Commandment of Loving One's Enemies looks like. He said, “Love your enemies.” (St. Paul: “Bless those who curse you. Return good for evil.”). Then He showed this by saying,

“Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they are doing.”

He could have tongue-lashed his disciples for failing to stay awake and pray with him in the garden of Gethzemani. He could have took on Peter for his weakness of more talk but little action and deeds to back it up.

He still had it in him to worry about his own mother from the cross and put her in the care of his beloved Disciple and Apostle, John. “Son, behold your mother. Woman, behold your son.”

He still had it in him to forgive the repentant thief, rather than feel

sorry for himself. “Tonight, you will be with me in Paradise.”

As the Second Reading says, “. . . He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.”

Our Lord had no drop (iota) of selfishness in him. He was only and exclusively about the business of saving us. Not in anyway sparing himself. No, He totally emptied himself. He forgot about himself, when he thought only of us.

APPLICATION:

Thus He laid us an example of how to carry our own daily crosses. Crosses play key roles in our lives.

Crosses or sufferings play the role as the chisels in the life of a statue and the hands of a sculpturer. It plays a maturation process in our lives. It purifies us like Gold in the Crucible.

Suffering taps the metal of our being to mold it into shape and character.

Sufferings chip away some crux and grannies in our character. They twist us with a dizzying speed  like clay on the Potter's wheel. They smash us hard against the hard rock, to beat us into shape like clay in the Potter's hands. They burn impurities out of us like iron ore in the crucible of the blacksmith. They pound on us to hew out virtue out of us.

One saint said: “It is better we burn from the fire of the wood of his cross, than to be firewood for somewhere, God knows where.”

“Whoever wants to be my disciple, must first deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”

APPLICATION

When the Lord pounds on you hard, it's probably because you are piece of marble, and you require sharper chisels, and heavier pounding.

The Master Sculpturer knows you have the potential to produce super-shining smoothness.  He knows you are a piece of gold and you probably need a more intense crucible of fire of suffering to gain the purity, the sanctity, the holiness you need. Slight contamination, slight impurity lowers your value considering how much you are worth.

That is why Our Lord refers to his Crucifixion as his Glorification.

“Father, glorify you Son.”  And,  “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, ..... becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” “Because of this, God has greatly exalted him.”

St. Augustine says, “It is fitting that the Loftiness of his Glorification, should be preceded by the Lowliness of his Passion.”

·        No Pain, no Gain.

·        No Cross, no Crown.

·        No Passion, no Passage.

·        No Crucifixion, no Resurrection

·        No Good Friday, No Easter Sunday.

We have got to be Crucified as St. Paul say, “I have been crucified on the cross with the Lord.”

The seed has to be first buried in the ground and die before it can exalt/rise to its glory and abundant life.

A grapevine has to be first pruned of its lavish branches, before it can blossom to bear abundant fruit. No pruning, no fruit.

No Discipline in our life, no productivity / no virtue.