Our Lady of Carter Lake Catholic Church at 3501 N. 9th Street, Carter Lake, IA 51510 US - Fearless Resolve

. . . Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion Luke 19:28-40; Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 Hollywood heroes often capture our imagination because they symbolize something that we admire. For example, when we watch Charles Bronson in Death Wish, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry or Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, it is not their violent actions that attract us, but their cool courage in confronting danger. We're inspired whenever we see these film heroes walk fearlessly into what they know are high-risk situations, because they have resolved to do what they have to do to right some wrong. Spontaneously we almost want to stand up and cheer for them as they defy death and demonstrate daring, because we wish that we too could face our own challenges with the same kind of courage. On this Palm Sunday we see another hero enter a high-risk situation determined to do what he has to do. The hero is Jesus, who knew that his enemies were plotting his death, yet, in the opening verses of today’s gospel, “proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.” In these few words Luke captures the courage and resolve which marked Christ’s journey to Jerusalem. It’s one of the reasons why we stand with palm branches to cheer for Jesus: “Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” These same qualities of courage and resolve were in the mind of the prophet Isaiah when he had the Suffering Servant say; “I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” When we read Luke's account of the passion, there, too, we saw Christ advance unflinchingly to his crucifixion and death. At the Last Supper he instituted the Eucharist giving to us his body that is broken and his blood that is shed for us. During his agony in the garden, Jesus balked momentarily over the cup of suffering he had to drink. But an angel from heaven came to strengthen him in his set purpose to do his Father’s will. When Jesus was struck and taunted by the armed guards, he kept his composure and remained silent. During his interrogation by the Sanhedrin he spoke out confidently: “From now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God.” On the way to Calvary, Jesus was helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross, but only to make sure that he would reach his destination. On the cross Jesus refused to come down and save himself. Instead he commended his spirit into his Father’s hands and died for us. Unlike our mythical film heroes, Jesus did die. He was not invincible, but vulnerable to death. Nevertheless, Jesus conquered death in a way that supersedes the greatest exploits of our film heroes: he rose from the dead on the third day. There is, then, a twofold purpose to Palm Sunday. On the one hand, it introduces Holy Week by presenting the passion and death of Jesus. On the other hand, it anticipates Easter by presenting Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a sort of sneak preview of his climactic triumph over death through his resurrection. May our Lord’s courage and resolve in going to Jerusalem to die inspire us to meet our own challenges the same way and to set our faces like flint when we would rather quit. May our Lord’s ultimate victory over death also encourage us, when all seems lost, to commend ourselves with faith into the Father’s hands. In this way, the palms blessed today will signify both our pledge to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem for his passion, as well as his promise that one day we will be with him in paradise.

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