MARCH 25, 2018
4:30 PM (SAT), 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES
We have just listened to the reading of the Passion according to St. Mark – the shortest, but most detailed of the Gospels.
On Good Friday, we will hear the Passion according to St. John.
Today – Palm Sunday – marks the beginning of Holy Week. And the high point of Holy Week are the “Three Days” – in Latin, the Triduum – of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
In the Gospel for Holy Thursday, we hear St. John tell us:
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had cometo pass from this world to the Father.He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.That last phrase “loved them to the end,” needs some fleshing out, because in Greek, there are three words for love: philos or “brotherly love”, eros or “romantic love,” and agape or “divine love” or “sacrificial love.” And the word used here is the last one – agape.
When St. John tells us “God is love,” he means agape – a divine and sacrificial love … a love that is manifested in a total self-gift.
In the Passion narratives, we see what that means when God becomes a human being, and pours out Himself in the person of Jesus Christ; not only at the end, but throughout His life and ministry.
The Passion is certainly not a “nice” story. It is a story of suffering, perseverance, love, and sacrifice. And there is violence, betrayal, injustice, and fear … lots and lots of fear.
Fear can be a powerful force in anyone’s life. Fear led Peter to deny Our Lord. Fear led Judas to betray Him. Fear is why the other disciples all ran away. The religious leaders and the Romans hoped to put an end to this uprising by inciting fear in those who dared follow this simple man from Nazareth whom they conspired to execute.
And at the foot of the cross, tradition tells us were Jesus’ Blessed Mother and the Apostle John.
What motivated this young man, John, to stay? While all the others disciples ran off?
In his First Epistle, chapter 4, written in his old age, St. John, himself, gives us this secret to overcoming fear:
… perfect love drives out fear …Of interest here, are the words used for “perfect love.” Love here is agape. While the word for “perfect,” in the Greek is teleios – the same word translated in John’s Gospel as “to the end,” also means “complete,” “mature,” or “finished.”
Even Our Lord’s final word from the Cross, "It is finished!" comes from the same Greek word, and could be translated "It is perfected!"
How are we to handle fear in our own lives? How are we to conquer the constant barrage of frightening images on television, in the news, and on the streets that surround us and threaten to overwhelm us?
By following the example of Jesus Christ – Who loved to the end … Who loved perfectly … Who loved completely … Who loved totally.
Paraphrasing St. John’s First Epistle, it could be said that:
… persevering to the end in divine and sacrificial love drives away any and all fear …And so, despite the violence, betrayal, fear, and injustice that we just heard played out in the Passion narrative … and despite the same that are played out in our own world today … perfect love casts out fear … and perfect love is what this story of the Passion is all about.
As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us pray that we might persevere to the end … in the supernatural and perfect Love of God which is ours through Baptism, and strengthened in all the Sacraments.
Let us conquer fear through perfect love … perfect, sacrificial, and divine Love. The love that is shown to us in the Person of Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Our Lord.
