Palm Sunday March 28, 2010

[Fr.Paul Weinberger]

Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010
Homily by: Fr. Paul Weinberger
St. William the Confessor
Greenville, TX

Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
Amen

Record time, record time from Hosanna to the Son of David on Palm Sunday to this, the Crucifixion, in less than a week. Those people back then were so stupid; I would never betray Jesus and you would never betray Jesus, because we know that every time someone sins that they betray Jesus. Everyone knows that you and I never sin. Right! If you believe this you have already dozed off. Of course we sin; even venial sin is betraying Jesus.

It was 500 years ago in Rome, St. Philip Neri, who is called an Apostle of Rome even though he came 1500 years after the Apostles, was a dear friend of the poor. He was like another St. Francis of Assisi. Every morning St. Philip Neri would get up and would say with a loud shout Heavenward, addressing God, “Look out today Lord, for Philip, lest he betray You again.” A saint understood how close temptation was and how easy it was to betray Jesus.

St. Peter and Judas were both Apostles and both betrayed Jesus, and yet St. Peter understood that Christ is Divine Mercy. He wept and repented and turned again to the Lord. Judas considered his sin to be greater than Divine Mercy and fell into a pit of despair and went out and hanged himself.

This line from the Gospel, “Our Lord said to Judas, Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?,” is there to show us that Jesus knew exactly what was transpiring; it wasn’t a surprise and it didn’t catch Him off guard; He knew exactly what was happening, and He submitted. In fact, Jesus is a model of “humble submission.” He is humility itself. The picture we see of the Crucifixion doesn’t even portray the event as it actually happened. Before they crucified Jesus they stripped Him of every piece of clothing; they nailed His naked body to the cross and they raised the cross up. There His mother stood beneath the cross and his friends at a safe distance.

There is only one guarantee in life and that is that there are no guarantees, but I will give you a spiritual guarantee. Even if you have done little or nothing over the last five weeks, all those things you were going to do and they have turned to nothing, don’t worry because you can still reap tremendous spiritual benefits if you start today. We have less than a week before Easter so start today and focus on Him. In fact, use this picture of the Crucifixion on the front of the bulletin as a center of your focus, as a laser beam on Jesus, Who is Divine Mercy.

When I was a kid we had to walk two or three blocks to school through our neighborhood. Just outside the neighborhood was St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church and School. There was no road that led from our neighborhood to the Church parking lot, but the Sisters let us go up their driveway and then down the sidewalk. “Stay on the sidewalk Mr. Weinberger!” “Yes, sister!” Sorry, I just had a flashback; I’ll be okay. We walked past that convent to go to school and to return home day in and day out, for years and years. Back then people were not as used to air-conditioning as we are today, spoiled. I love it as well as central heat. Back then people opened their windows; yes, windows actually opened to get a breeze through the house when it was nice outside. Often the sisters had their windows open and when we walked past we would hear the sisters inside talking to each other. These sisters were right off the boat from Ireland, and there were six sisters in the little house or convent. Sometimes they were talking or singing and working. On Good Friday….nothing, nothing! They didn’t speak or have the radio on and whatever work they did was only out of necessity. That still sticks in my mind today.

So, if you and I are wise and wish to reap tremendous spiritual benefits in the last remaining week of Lent, but have a goose egg so far and want to do something about it, here is your chance, and it is a last chance, but still a chance. Here is a guarantee; if you do this, if you forsake all others and focus on HIM, and take your routine and throw it under the bus…it is getting very crowded under that bus….disregard your routine for a week and focus on reading the Bible relating to the Passion of Christ or pray in silence at home. Don’t use the radio or computer unless you have to. Video games? Yes, I like that video game of the Passion of the Christ, don’t you? Haven’t seen that one have you? Put them all away and focus on Him and you can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Like Judas, the “other team” tells you that you have wasted Lent again and to just forget it.

There is Divine Mercy to focus on and Pope John Paul II referred again and again to the Sacrament of Confession as the Sacrament of Divine Mercy. We have 40 hours of Confession during Holy Week and the odds are that you can work your Confession in somewhere. Think about how easy it is to betray our Lord through venial and mortal sins.

St. Philip Neri, 500 years ago…..”Look out today Lord, for Philip, lest he betray You again. St. Peter betrayed Christ once, twice, and even had a warning before. “No Lord, that won’t happen, I am even willing to go to jail for You.” Yea, right! Peter went out and wept bitterly, and that was appropriate. It wasn’t merely weeping bitterly for the sake of weeping, he wept bitterly and turned back to the Lord. That is what you and I can do this week. If you cannot make it to Holy Thursday or Good Friday Services then you need to do something at home. The reason so many people do come to Church on those two days is because it is easier to go to Church and focus than it is to stay home and focus. The phone rings or someone knocks at the door when you start trying to focus at home. If you cannot come to Church, don’t worry, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything. Inside the bulletin is the Divine Mercy Chaplet and if you haven’t prayed it you can start today. If you want to wait until the last minute you can start on Holy Thursday and pray it daily until Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the Sunday after Easter Sunday. I guarantee that spiritual benefits, graces, and blessings will come your way. To do nothing is to lean in to the other team and to give in to despair.


Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
Amen