Reflection for April 13, 2025

​Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion (C)

Isaiah 50:4-7 | Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 | Philippians 2:6-11 | Luke 22:14—23:56

Today, we begin the most sacred week of our liturgical calendar. The readings presented to us offer an opportunity to contemplate Jesus' journey to the Resurrection through His Passion. Let us pray for the graces of patient endurance, humble obedience, and discernment.

Fr. Matthew Chu Li-teh, S.J. was arrested and thrown into prison in Shanghai, China, just for preaching at his church. Even in prison, he started sharing Christ. He went through a trial, which was more of a joke than anything, and was sentenced to 27 years. After serving his time, he wrote these words: "Both the prisoners and the guards asked a lot of questions, and we ended up doing more good ministry in prison than we ever could have in church. God was better served by us being there than if we had been free."

In today’s First Reading, we hear the third of the four servant songs from Deutero-Isaiah. Israel, in exile in Babylon, rejects God's message. Despite the people's rejection, the servant doesn’t back down from his calling to deliver the truth. He remains fully confident that, in the end, God will prove him right and restore him. There's something in human nature that just craves getting back at others. When we've been hurt or attacked, our emotions surge, and all we want is revenge. But in Scripture, we see the servant doesn’t fight back. He doesn’t respond to violence with more violence. He doesn’t resist when he’s beaten, when his beard is pulled, or when he’s struck and spat on. A servant doesn’t fight fire with fire. Patient endurance isn’t weakness; it's a sign of deep inner strength. Insults and violence can’t change who we are or the truth we carry. By enduring these hardships, we, ordinary people, are shaped for an extraordinary future. Let's take comfort in the words of St. Rose of Lima: "Apart from the Cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to Heaven."

His Eminence Paul-Émile Cardinal Léger served as the Archbishop of Montreal, the largest Catholic diocese in Canada, for 17 years. He was made a cardinal by Pope Pius XII in 1953. At the conclave that chose a successor to Pope Paul VI, Cardinal Léger’s name came up as a possible candidate for pope. Though considered one of the most influential church leaders of the 20th century, he was also known for his deep faith and humility. He was always focused on the welfare of others and looked for ways to ease people’s suffering. On November 9, 1967, he gave up his high-ranking position in the Church. He resigned, left behind his red vestments, crosier, miter, and pallium at the archbishop’s palace, and disappeared. Years later, he was discovered living among lepers, the handicapped, and outcasts in a small African village. When a Canadian journalist asked him why he made such a choice, he explained: "It will be the great scandal of the history of our century that 500 million people are eating well and living luxuriously, while millions of children die of hunger every year. I’m too old to change all that. The only thing I can do that makes sense is to be present. I must simply be in the midst of them. So, just tell people in Canada that you met an old priest. I am a priest who is happy to be old and still a priest, among those who suffer. I’m happy to be here and to hold them in my heart."

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul explains that Jesus, the Son of God and King of Heaven, deserved all honor, praise, and worship. Yet, to be our Savior, He gave up His privileges and became a humble servant. He fully embraced the human experience, even death, because it was necessary for the Second Adam to undo the damage caused by the first. Our first parents were deceived by the serpent, filled with the deadly poison of pride, and the only antidote was humility. Jesus’ humble obedience was the key to defeating that deadly serpent. Humility isn’t about belittling ourselves or feeling inferior. It’s about focusing less on our own desires, pride, and needs, and more on others. We show humble obedience when we put others first—by listening carefully, offering help, and serving without expecting recognition. We also practice humility when we face life’s challenges with a positive outlook, trusting that God has a purpose for us and accepting His will. Recognizing our limits and asking for help when needed is also an important part of humility. Lastly, we can serve others daily without seeking praise, remembering that our true worth comes from doing God’s will, not from gaining rewards. Humble obedience means acknowledging that there are things greater than our own self-interest, like serving God and others. Just as Jesus’ humility and obedience led to His exaltation by God, our own humility will lead to rewards, not in the worldly sense, but in a deeper, lasting way through God’s approval.
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There’s a story about a new bank president who sat down with his predecessor and asked, "What do you think made you successful?" The older man looked at him and said, "I can sum it up in two words: Good decisions." The young president thanked him but asked, "How do you know which decisions are good?" The older man replied, "One word: Experience." The young man then asked, "That’s great, but how do you get experience?" The older man smiled and said, "Two words: Bad decisions."
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For two thousand years, Judas has been seen as Christianity’s symbol of human evil. He was part of Jesus’ inner circle, the one who knew the Lord most intimately and heard His teachings often. Judas was trusted so much that he became the treasurer of the apostles. Like the other disciples, he left everything to follow Jesus. However, Satan relentlessly attacked his soul (Luke 22:3-4; John 13:2, 27), just as he does with anyone who chooses to follow Christ. Some might say, "Poor Judas, he didn’t stand a chance. Satan entered him. What could he have done?" But this view ignores the fact that Judas opened the door to Satan. His betrayal didn’t happen suddenly. Judas had already made poor choices, including stealing from the money bag. His small, consistent betrayals of trust led to a greater one—selling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Unchecked dishonesty only grows worse. Judas put himself in a position where God allowed Satan to use him. He made a series of bad decisions, and the devil took advantage, entering his heart. Judas could have resisted, but he gave in and became responsible for his actions. We also hear in the Passion of Christ according to Saint Luke that the crowd made the tragic choice to release Barabbas instead of Jesus. Barabbas’ name means “son of the Father,” and in many ways, we are like Barabbas. Just as he was a guilty rebel, murderer, and thief, so are we. We are the ones freed, even though we don’t deserve it. Jesus took our death, giving us the freedom He deserved. Jesus bore the guilt, shame, curse, disgrace, and death that should have been ours. We didn’t deserve that freedom, but He took our place. We are children of the Father. We are Barabbas. We experience the consequences of our poor choices. Now, it's up to us to listen to what candidates say and do, and next time, and on May 12, let’s choose Jesus over Barabbas.

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