Homily for Palm Sunday 2022

With the rising price of gas, people are driving more slowly than ever before. For those of us who are always in a hurry, we go around them and forget it. When a person cuts us off in traffic, we can let that go… When we have a falling out or disagreement with another, we work on that. When people spread gossip, we ignore it.

To bear wrongs patiently means that when others treat us unfairly or unkindly we don’t seek to treat them in the same way that they have treated us. It means that we should work to forgive and to move on instead of dwelling on the injustices that we have experience. But what about this…

On the news Friday, we heard, “A Russian bomb hits a train station in a small town in Ukraine, one of the few avenues out of the country. 52 people were killed and many more wounded… mostly women and children. On the bomb is written in Russian, “for the children…” That left me with a sick feeling in my stomach.

To bear wrongs patiently is a spiritual work of Mercy. Today we begin Holy week with Palm Sunday Weekend. We have just heard the full account of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, it may be helpful to think about how Jesus was able to bear wrongs patiently and learn from him. For myself, often what makes it difficult to bear a wrong is that it seems unjust. It’s easier to accept minor injustices around me but when there is a tremendous injustice in front of me, people who are bullied… or those abused in the workplace… those unwelcome because of race, language or way of life… that’s difficult!

My dear friends, Jesus Christ accepted all wrongs all injustices because he saw it as an opportunity to love. Remember he said from the cross, “forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” He didn’t see in that moment the injustice, he saw that the people were ignorant and didn’t know what they were doing or understand. All he saw was an opportunity to love.

If we could pray for this grace this week as we enter into the celebration of the passion to be able to see only opportunities to love and not injustice, I believe that we will experience a tremendous grace in our life. This can be a healing opportunity for us!

It is my prayer for us this week that we have this this opportunity to make this prayer, asking the Lord to help us to bear any type of wrong that we happen to experience… with patience by being able to look at same experience as an opportunity to love.