A Love Song

A Reflection on the Gospel for April 5th, 2020:
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

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MATTHEW 27:11-54 

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 


Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 


Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 


While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” 


Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 


The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 


Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!”   Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” 


So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. 


Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. 


As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 


Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”  In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God's Son.’ ” The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. 


From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 


At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 


Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God's Son!”

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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

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I didn’t see this coming. I didn’t expect this reading.  


I saw my name on a list of upcoming reflections for Ora right next to the Gospel for Palm Sunday and thought, “Yes! Ride on King Jesus!” Just like the song says. The Triumphal Entry. Without even looking up the passage, for days my thoughts swam through all the pictures in my head of Palm Sunday. Jesus mounting the young donkey the disciples found for Him on a dusty road just outside the city. The crowds of Jerusalem laying down their coats and branches of palms to cloak the ground that He rides on, adoring who they think Jesus is. He moves through a sea of people all shouting their praises, blessing Him, exalting Him as their Messiah King. That’s what I had expected to see before me when I finally sat down to read it, to open myself up before this Palm Sunday Gospel reading. And instead I stood bare before this reading.  


It’s hard to breathe before such breathtaking pain. Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani! We hear Jesus’ words cried out in the language Mary taught Him as a toddler. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me! That is the cry that rises up in me as I plunge my heart into the unexpected waters of this Gospel. WHY?


There’s a riptide pulling me through the passage, out to sea.  


    'Are you the King of the Jews?'
    'What should I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?'
    'If you are the Son of God, come down!'


Questions and mocking challenges that all swirl around the one thing that changes everything. Who ARE You?  


And the current has pulled me out to still waters, crystalline incandescent blue-green waters. A warm rain starts to fall and each drop creates a small explosion of white light in the water, with my eyes at the level where sea and sky meet. I’m swimming here, held safe in these waters, because He lets me see that the answer to 'Who ARE You?' and the answer to 'WHY?' is the same.  
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LOVE.  




It’s hard to breathe before such breathtaking love. He joins us in our suffering. Transforms our suffering. He does not leave us alone in it. Redeems our suffering. This is the King. This is the Messiah. This is the Son of God.  

I hear the Mass bells ring and I look up. 
This is my Body, which will be given up for you.

This Gospel is a Lay of Love




Noreen Smith
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