Gospel Reflection for Palm Sunday – 25th March 2018

“You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven” Mk 14:62

On Sunday last I had the priviledge to witness about 40 people who would brave the artic conditions to pray for the protection of life and faith at a Mass rock in my parish. Love often involves sacrifice, their love of their ancestors shone forth and their love for future generations shone so clearly. Yet I think was it just a reflection of Christ’s love for us? As recently I read an account of the results from tests carried out on the Shroud of Turin, which we believe to have been the shroud used to wrap up Christ’s body after the crucifixion for the burial. It explained they were able to draw an understanding for how Christ actually died, or the cause of death. It’s often suggested He died due to loss of blood, or drowning in His own spittle, or from the physical pain endured, but these were rejected. It was revealed that the man in the shroud had experienced a massive heart attack, in other words he had died of a broken heart.

There are many of my lectures from seminary I have long forgotten, but one I hope I never forget, we were studying the gospel we are looking at today. When it looks like everything is out of Gods control he said; “Christ was completely in control, for Him the cross was to become His throne of glory”, those words still echo in my ears. It can be hard for us to follow the long Gospel, our attention span usually struggles, but we should see the whole event as Christ showing us the depth of His love. Up till now the stage has been set for His passion, crucifixion and death, yet the gospel today has these events become real. All the other participants such as; Pilate, Judas, the Chief priests, the crowd, they all might be led to think they are in control of events, that they have some kind of power or control. Yet in everything that happened on the first Good Friday, God was the One in control, allowing His Son to show us the depth of the love of His hearth.

As we prepare to begin this Holy week, Christ in control is going to be raised up on His throne of glory, as He is going to be raised between heaven and earth. His arms are to be opened wide to embrace the whole world, His head bent to offer a kiss, the heart showing the infinite love will be broken and exposed to gush forth with the life of the world. When we stop and think about many will say if only Judas hadn’t betrayed him, if only Pilate hadn’t found him guilty, if only the soldiers weren’t so cruel? Yet let us first look at our sins and see when we were Judas, when we were Pilate and say; “Yes, but His mercy is greater than our weakness”. Then to knock ourselves off our selfish throne say; “God, I need You to be the One in control of my life”.