by Fr. Tommy Lane
We call this week ahead “Holy Week” and it is indeed Holy Week because we celebrate our salvation by Jesus. It is the holiest week of the year. It is astounding. Jesus died for us, for you. People do not like to talk about sin or even use the word “sin,” but Holy Week is all because of sin. An exchange took place during Holy Week; Jesus took our sins on himself and paid the fee or price or penalty for our sins to his Father. The reason for Holy Week, for Jesus suffering and dying as he did, is to pay the price for our sins. Surely, we are not so “woke” that we cannot even mention the reason for Holy Week. Jesus exchanged his life for our sins. That is love like no other love. Jesus loves you because you are you.
Those of you who are married, on the day you got married, you promised your spouse to love your spouse for the rest of your lives. That promise did not mean that you would not be tempted by someone else in the future, but it did mean that when you would be tempted by someone else in the future you would remain faithful to your spouse. That promise did not mean that you would never meet someone prettier or more handsome, someone more fun or exciting, someone with more money or means, someone with better health or more free time. But your promise meant that when you would meet someone prettier or more handsome, someone more fun or exciting, someone with more money or means, someone with better health or more free time, you would remain faithful to your spouse. Your promise did not mean that temptation would never come but that when it would come, you would remain faithful to your spouse. That is genuine love—remaining faithful and making a sacrifice when what appears to be better comes along because love always involves sacrifice.
We see the same in Jesus’ love for us, except multiplied infinitely. Out of love for us, Jesus became human, one of us. The second reading said Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.” (Phil 2:7) Imagine, God becoming one of us to convince us of his love for us. To imagine becoming a dog because you love your dog does not even begin to capture the love of God for us. Then temptations came to Jesus, but he remained faithful to his love for us. We see the temptations when Jesus was in the desert after his baptism before he began his public ministry. The devil offered him what was better and more exciting but Jesus, even though he must have been physically weak from fasting, remained faithful to his love for us. Then on the cross, he was mocked by various people but suffered another temptation, uttered to him by the chief priests and scribes as they said to him. “Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” (Mark 15:32) How tempting that must have been for Jesus, to put an end to his suffering and prove to them who he was. But Jesus, in his intense suffering, remained faithful to his love for us when temptation came to him at his weakest moment. That is because of Jesus’ love for you. He showed his love was genuine love—remaining faithful and making a sacrifice when a better option was available. His love for you meant the ultimate sacrifice for him, suffering dreadful torture and giving his life in exchange for your sins. Jesus’ love for you saved you on Good Friday. It really was Good Friday.
We celebrate Jesus saving us every time we come to Mass. During the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and said it was his body given up. In other words, Jesus pulled the benefits of his sacrifice of himself the following day back in time by one day to apply to the apostles during the Last Supper. Already during the Last Supper they benefited from Jesus giving his body in sacrifice to his Father on the cross the following day for our salvation. Jesus did the same with the chalice. He said it was his blood poured out for them for the forgiveness of sins. He pulled the benefits of shedding his blood for us on Good Friday back in time by one day to apply it to the apostles during the Last Supper.
During every Mass, we hear again the words of Jesus during the Last Supper repeated at the consecration: “this is my body which will be given up for you. . . This is the chalice of my blood which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.” During Mass, the salvation Jesus achieved for us on Calvary is pulled forward in time and given to us now during Mass. During Mass we are spiritually present at Calvary, as if in a time warp, like the women and John beneath Jesus’ cross.
Sometimes people fuss about this, that, and the other for a funeral Mass because they have forgotten what a funeral Mass is—a celebration of the love of Jesus for us, the love of Jesus dying in exchange for our sins, the love of Jesus remaining faithful no matter what temptation came his way, the love of Jesus that remained faithful to us when tempted in the most dreadful of circumstances. During Mass, we celebrate the love of Jesus for us saving us from our sins. During Mass we are at Calvary celebrating the love of Jesus saving us.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2024
Thanks to a retreat talk by Fr. Murr for some thoughts linked above
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for Passion (Palm) Sunday
Meditating on Jesus’ Passion 2021
The Passion of Jesus shows us up as sinners and heals us
The characters in the Passion represent our sins that led to Jesus’ crucifixion 2009
The Passion of Jesus Speaks to Us 2015
Related Homilies: Jesus’ “Abba” Prayer in Gethsemane 2020
Jesus’ Sufferings Revealed by the Turin Shroud
Second Reading: All Should Bend the Knee at the Name of Jesus 2020
First Reading: Jesus took our sins on himself 2018