The Passion Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

 

Jesus Christ lived through sufferings by humility.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Palm Sunday, Year B, March 24th, 2024
Texts: Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9,17-20,23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47 

Today is palm Sunday which begins the Passion Week. We also know it as Holy Week. It is a week for reflection on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does the Passion of Christ mean to you? What does it mean to me? Today’s readings throw more light on the Passion of Christ. 

Today’s first reading reminds us of the words of St. Paul: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God” (2Cor. 1:3-4).  

Whatever Jesus suffered is for our good

Our Lord submit to suffering to know how to help us in our sufferings. Hence, St. Paul adds, “If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering” (2Cor. 1:6).

The first reading reveals that whatever Jesus suffered is for our good. We read, “The  Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary.” He listens to God and does His will for our good. He puts it thus: “Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The  Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward.” 

I gave my back to those who struck me

Our Lord accepted insult, shame and spitting for our good. We read, “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; is not my face from shame and spitting. For the  Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”  

Jesus becomes for us the repository of knowledge of how to live through human conditions. In time of insults, shame, disgrace, sufferings, betrayal, misunderstanding, etc He is there to guide us. What about time of joy and peace, He is also there to guide us and lead us through. This is because He welcomed all the human conditions that He might know how to live through them. 

Jesus Christ lived through sufferings by humility

St. Paul in today’s second reading speaks of how Jesus Christ lived through sufferings by humility. Humility is the secret of living successfully by Jesus Christ. In the words of St. Paul: “And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” If we want to live through human conditions successfully we need to embrace humility.   Without humility we cannot bear anything for God or anyone. 

Jesus shows in His life that it is humility that leads to greatness in life. We read, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of  Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that  Jesus Christ is  Lord”. He teaches us that we achieve greatness in life by humility. Though humility makes us submit to sufferings, it leads to greatness.  

Prayer 

Almighty ever-living God, who as an example of humility for the human race to follow caused our Saviour to take flesh and submit to the Cross, graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering and so merit a share in his Resurrection. Amen 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke