Holy Week begins: Palm Sunday (6th Sunday of Lent)

            Palm Sunday marks beginning of the holiest week of the year.  It is aptly named: Holy Week.

            From the biblical perspective, to be holy means to be set apart.  And this week—Holy Week—is in fact set apart from the fifty-one other weeks of the year as we enter into Jesus suffering, passion, death and resurrection.

            Consider how Jesus himself was set apart.  In the beautiful hymn in Philippians, Paul writes, “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness.”  Jesus Christ, the embodiment of the second Person of the Trinity, took on a new nature: ours.  He emptied himself and became a man.

            The Passion narrative shows how Jesus was set apart—more accurately cast out—by men.  Judas, his friend, betrayed him.  Peter denied Jesus.  Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus.  Herod treated him like a jester and ridiculed Jesus.  Pontius Pilate washed his hands of Jesus.  And the crowd called for Jesus’ blood.

            And think of the ways that Jesus was humiliated.  He was mocked—crowned with thorns and adorned in a purple robe to be laughed at as a comical king.  He was spit upon.  He was stripped naked.

            Jesus was even set apart from physical health which many of us take for granted.  He was beaten mercilessly.  He was scourged.  Nails were pounded into his hands and feet.  Even breath was slowly taken from him as he hung upon the cross.  And, at the end, Jesus surrendered his spirit and died.

            At first glance, it seems that Jesus was even separated from God: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” 

            Yet quite the contrary was true.  In being separate from all things human—sin, pride, normalcy, health and life itself—Jesus followed his Father’s will perfectly.  And because of his humility he won redemption for us all.  This can be seen by continuing to read Psalm 22, the Psalm from which Jesus quoted on the cross.  A later verse reads: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.” 

            Jesus set himself apart from the world and in so doing showed us what holiness looks like.  During Holy Week, will you follow Christ and be set apart?  Will you intensify your prayer, fasting and almsgiving as we conclude the Lenten season?  Will you take time from school, work or plans to participate in the greatest Liturgy of the year—the Holy Triduum—on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil?  (If ever there was to take personal time away from studies or work for religious reasons, this is it!)  Will you begin the Easter holiday by coming to Mass?  My prayer is that you will.

            During Holy Week, allow for time to be separate from your world that you, too, may be holy.