Palm Sunday Reflection

[Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD]

Palm Sunday 2011
A Reflection for Palm Sunday by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Divine Mercy Franciscans
Divine Mercy Parish, Franklin, MA
www.missionstsergius.org
http://www.franciscansdivinemercy.org

Today we celebrate Christ’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem but we
must keep in mind it marks the beginning of the week that details the
suffering that Christ was willing to endure so we could have
forgiveness of our sins and achieve everlasting life with God and all
the heavenly elect.
The week highlights what Christ was willing to GIVE UP in order for us
to receive forgiveness of our sins.
For this reason throughout all of the history of the church the
faithful have been asked to GIVE UP some of the comforts and luxuries
that make our lives pleasurable.
As a Franciscan I and the members of our Divine Mercy Franciscans
follow the rule of St. Francis who is most often shown surrounded by
animals not just because he respected all of God’s creatures but
because they reminded him of Christ’s teaching found in Matthew 6 :26
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away
in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much
more valuable than they?”
St. Francis saw in animals a vision of the poverty of God, a freedom
for life not dependent on possessions, a freedom that lives by giving
and receiving, rather than by possessing.
The hallmark of St. Francis’ commitment to life with and for the poor
is the practice of voluntary begging. Voluntary begging, for Francis,
is the act of intentionally and publically relying on the charity of
others for the sake of one’s livelihood and a means of caring for
those who are in need because of illness, age, poverty and
homelessness.
Item one of the Rule of St. Francis it states “This is the rule and
way of living of the brothers: namely to observe the holy Gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience, without personal
possessions”, and Item 6 it states “The brothers shall appropriate
nothing to themselves, neither a house, nor a place, nor anything; but
as pilgrims and strangers in this world, in poverty and humility
serving God, they shall confidently go seeking for alms. Nor need they
be ashamed, for the Lord became poor for us in this world even to
giving up His earthly live in order for us to gain forgiveness of our
sins and achieve everlasting life with God and all the heavenly
elect. .”
On this Palm Sunday and the final week of Lent called Holy Week this
reflection will talk about specific ways we can practice self-denial
to and in a small way participate in a very small way in the suffering
that Christ endured during his week of passion.
It is so easy for us to be attracted to material riches and the
creature comforts they often provide but to be true followers of
Christ we need to make a categorical decision not to let them become
an idol we honor more than we honor God.
One way we can overcome this constant temptation and respond to our
neighbor's needs by share with others what God in His generosity has
given to us or allowed us to earn is to make a donation of the cost of
what we give up to a charity or your faith community so they can help
others as St. Francis instructs in his rule item 6.
Saint Paul, in Romans 15:25-27 speaks of the collection for the Faith
Community of Jerusalem which tells us that even in the early church
the work of proclaiming the Good News of Salvation required all the
faithful to participate and care for each other. It is no different
today.
A Faith Community is only as successful as how many of the community
get involved in doing the work of God by providing the means to do
it.
There is no better way for us to show our intercommunion and
fellowship with the Body of Christ than to “Do unto others as we would
have done unto us.” (John 15:13)
All over the world ministries and churches are having difficulty
meeting the basic needs of their faith communities. Even here in the
United States many faith Communities have difficulty because of and
the sluggish economy meeting the weekly operating expenses let alone
fulfilling the food, shelter, and other services the poor, aged and
sick of their area need due to high unemployment.
I hear the same story from pastors all over this country how they are
struggling and having difficulties because collections and donations
have dropped drastically
Recently a Boston Globe story reported that the average per person
weekly income of the Greater Boston are is $1000 (One Thousand
Dollars) a week. Considering that there are many who do not receive
even $250 a week, I have to wonder what others must be making for the
average to be that high and how those on the high end of the wage
scale are helping those at the bottom.
The average weekly salary in the area is more than I receive to live
on for a whole month and I use some of my income to support the needs
of our ministry.
If everyone reading or listening to this reflection would just give
the cost of a daily cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks for
the week to their Church the result would make a huge impact.
I pray that everyone who this reflection reaches will reflect on their
sharing of the gifts God has given them to have, especially in light
of how the recent disaster in Japan reminded us how quickly everything
can be lost, consider making an offering that helps those less
fortunate the impact could be awesome.
The Church from the earliest times has called on Christ’s followers to
give of themselves as Christ was willing to give for us.
Giving up something does nothing unless it also has a positive result
like Christ’s Passion and Death.
As Paul reminds us in Romans 15:25; “ I am on my way to Jerusalem in
the service of the saints there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased
to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if
the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it
to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.”
May Almighty God inspire you during this last week of Lent to be
merciful and generous to the needs of our brothers and sisters in
Christ and neighbors of the world for it is not what we have given up
that will open the gates of heaven, but what we have done to help
others. AMEN