Passion Sunday - Palm Sunday

 

The Gospel for Passion Sunday, also called Palm Sunday is powerful because we see how much Jesus suffered-- out love for us.

Many spiritual writers tell us to regularly meditate on the Passion of Jesus. When we gaze upon Our Lord’s sufferings during prayer, we come in contact with the powerful saving mysteries, that touch our soul.

If one wants to grow in their sorrow for how we hurt Jesus by their sins, thinking about the sufferings of Jesus will move our heart to love Him more. The sufferings of Jesus will inspire us to practice our faith better. The sufferings of Jesus also remind us of our sins and our failures.

When most of us confess our sins, we confess what we said and what we did, but we forget to mention what we failed to do. Every sin is really a rejection of the Cross. All of the apostles, except John rejected the Cross, by not being there for Jesus during His three hours of suffering. But, they later repented. There was only the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, the other Mary and John the Apostle.

Here are some ways we may have rejected the Cross, by what we have failed to do. As parents did you fail to bring your children to the Stations of the Cross during Lent? Did you fail to fast, do penance, and offer sacrifices during Lent? Did you fail to bring the entire family including your children to Confession regularly? Did you fail to teach my children to pray? Did you fail to read the bible regularly? Did you fail to pray to Jesus everyday? Did you fail to compliment your family members, friends and co-workers? Did you fail to make God first in you life, your family, and all that you do? Do you place school activities above God? Did you fail to bring my children to Mass preventing them from receiving Holy Communion, hearing the Word of God and being at the Sacrifice of Calvary? Did you fail to visit or call a parent or grandparent? Did you fail to apologize to someone you hurt? Did you fail to pray for relatives and friends who have died? Did you fail to forgive someone and held a grudge? Did you fail to dress up for Mass? Did you wear shorts to Mass or during Eucharistic Adoration, which is failure to respect the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Did you fail to bring your children to Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration? Did you fail to contribute financially in support the church to help pay for the gas, electricity, insurance, water, and other church expenses? Did you fail to help the poor?

For children, did you fail to do your homework? Did you fail to keep your room clean? Did you fail to pray for your parents, brothers and sisters and friends? Did you fail to help someone else who needs it? Have you failed to come to Confession on your own, rather than waiting until an adult told you to go? Did you fail to share something you have with others? Did you fail to read a short paragraph from the Bible everyday?

All of these ways and many more, are ways we reject the Cross. They are ways we fail to love Jesus as we ought by not trying to live the life of a disciple. Just as the Apostles repented and asked Jesus for forgiveness, you too can do the same and resolve to stand with Jesus at the foot of the Cross, with the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and John the Apostle.

On Sunday, (this evening) at 7pm, there will be a penance service at St. Paul in Lyons with 7 priests hearing Confessions. Remember, if you go to Confession during Lent and receive Holy Communion on the Sunday after Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) all your sins and the punishment due to your sins, will be washed away in the ocean of God’s mercy. And all purgatory time is washed away.

Will you take advantage of God’s mercy given to us, poured out on the Cross for our salvation?