Easter: a day when a tomb becomes a cradle.

Roman Rite - Easter Sunday - Year B - March 31^st, 2024

Acts 10.34a.37-43; Ps 118; Col 3.1-4; Jn 20: 1-9

Ambrosian Rite

Acts 1: 1-8a; Ps 118; 1Cor 15.3-10a; Jn 20: 11-18

Easter Sunday in the Resurrection of the Lord

 

 1) The Resurrection of Christ is a historical fact and a dogma of faith.

            The resurrection is a dogma of the Christian faith, which is grafted into a fact that has historically happened and confirmed. Today, Easter Day, we are called to reflect "with the mind kneeled” on the mystery enunciated by the dogma, enclosed in the historical fact and celebrated in the liturgy.

The truth of the resurrection is documented by the New Testament, believed and lived as central point by the first Christian communities, transmitted as fundamental by Tradition and that continues to be deepened, studied and preached as an essential part of the paschal mystery.

My reflections follow this path that the Church offers us, but I will limit myself to the passage of today's Gospel in which St John recounts: “On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, 
the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead."(Jn 20,1-9).

As you can see, the story develops around the "empty tomb". The tomb without the body of Christ is not enough to "prove" his resurrection. The empty tomb, the removed entrance stone and the sheets that wrapped Jesus arranged in an orderly manner, if not a "proof" of the resurrection, are however "signs" for those who know how to read them correctly, kneeling with their heart.

In this prayerful "reading" of today's Gospel, it is useful to examine the reactions of the people who first went to see the empty tomb: Mary Magdalene, Peter and the "other disciple", John, the "Disciple that Jesus loved ".

When John entered the tomb after Peter, he "saw and believed" that the tomb carved for death had become our cradle for a new life because he who triumphed over death is the firstborn among the dead (Ap 1,5). Today is Easter, passage and liberation for Jesus and for all his brothers and sisters. Following the path that He has traced to us, the day will come when, even for us, death, which destroys everything and is our enemy par excellence, will be annihilated by the realm of immortality (see 1Cor 15,26). 

 

 

2) A tomb that becomes a cradle

It should be noted that Peter enters the tomb and "observes" the linen and the shroud carefully folded. The Greek text of the Gospel uses the verb "theoréin", which means more than just seeing physical: in fact, it means to "scrutinize" and involves a careful, reflective, questioning look. Actually, from the parallel passage of Luke (24.12) we learn that Peter was "full of amazement" for what happened, and of which he is the most authoritative witness. For his "seeing" John uses the Greek verb "eidein", the perfect of "horào", which means to look, to perceive, to get to know; in the biblical language of the New Testament the verb also indicates spiritual vision.

John says that he "saw and believed". Why? What did he "see", and what did he "believe"?

Unlike Peter, John had remained with Jesus until the end and had witnessed his burial. Now, bent over the tomb, he sees that the bandages and the shroud are exactly in the position in which the body had been placed so to exclude any tampering.

Let us remember that for the evangelist John "to see" ("horào") is also to become aware of an event of revelation. The beloved disciple therefore "saw" in a deeper way than Peter. In this "seeing" he was helped - as I mentioned above – by his previous experience of having been among those who had brought Christ to the tomb.

But, above all, it was the love for Jesus, of which the "beloved disciple" had been penetrated, that let light pass through him: the bandages, slumped but still wrapped, and the shroud in that strange position, were the sign that Jesus had come out of the tomb alive, escaping in a mysterious way from the clothes that enveloped him. John therefore, in the arrangement of the bandages and of the shroud, sees a postponement. He did not see the Risen One, but his traces. However, looking with love at these traces was enough for him to believe.

Even Mary Magdalene, thanks to her love, went to the tomb, saw it open and empty and went to tell Peter. Then, she returned there and in the garden met the Risen Lord.

Let us proceed with order. Arrived at the tomb to embalm the body of the Master, Mary sees (in Greek "blépei") the stone removed and turned away. Her vision is expressed with "blépo", a Greek verb that indicates the physical seeing, the simple sight with the eyes, the material perception. From this perception, the woman arrives to a purely human conclusion: the corpse is gone, so it has been stolen and taken away. Hence her pain, or rather her anguish, because it was taken from her - perhaps forever - the only relic that had remained of her beloved Master.

She informs Peter and John, the two greatest exponents of the early Christian community, and they too go straight to the tomb.

After the return of the two Apostles, Magdalene could not resist the desire to visit the Master's tomb again. The thought that the vanished body can lie without honor and without burial, torments her ardent and upset soul. Alone, she returns to the tomb. There, in her inconsolable pain, she cries.

Suddenly, she is faced with a man, and this man is Jesus. Magdalene does not recognize him: she is looking for the dead body of his Master and wants to bury him again. Love guides her, but faith does not illuminate that love; she does not notice that the one whose inanimate spoils she is looking for, is there alive and near.

Jesus, in his ineffable condescension, is kind enough to make his voice heard: "Woman - he tells her - why are you crying? What are you looking for?" Magdalene does not even recognize this voice. Her heart is as if entranced by an excessive and blind sensibility. Her spirit does not yet recognize Jesus, who finally calls her by name: "Mary!" "Master" she replies and wants to kiss his feet like when, washing them with precious perfume and tears, she received forgiveness of her sins. But Jesus stops her; the time has not yet come to abandon herself to effusions of joy. First, she must go and announce to the Apostles what she has seen and what she has heard in that garden: Who she has met, the risen Christ. It is she who will be, as the Holy Doctors say, the Apostle of the Apostles. Jesus tells her: "Go to my brothers and tell them that I ascend to my and your Father, my and your God". Let us do the same. 

“A virgin breasts found full and a full tomb found empty constitute the same sign" (K. Barth). The entrance, like the exit of the Son of God from life and from the world, remain shrouded in mystery. But it is a mystery of love. If we, with Easter, convert to this love, our daily life will be a reflection that will give light and warmth to everyone.

May the joy of Easter inspire us to bring to everyone the message that Christ has risen for the salvation of the whole world. In His name let’s bring to everyone the proclamation of conversion and forgiveness of sins, above all through the witness of a converted and forgiven life.

We must be witnesses of God's mercy. There is no Easter in our hearts and lives if we are not at peace with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the whole world.

Easter begins with the conversion of the heart to mercy. In the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis invited us to strive to live concretely this dimension of the resurrection of Christ which is mercy, and to have a heart open to forgiveness.

            We can give this testimony of the risen and merciful Christ if we are "clothed with the power of the above" (Lk 24: 49), that is, with the inner strength of the Spirit of the Risen Lord. "To receive it, it is necessary, as Jesus told the disciples, not to leave Jerusalem and to remain in the 'city' where the mystery of salvation, the supreme God's act of love for humanity, was consumed. For the Christians, citizens of the world, staying in Jerusalem can mean remaining in the Church, the 'city of God for men"(Benedict XVI).

 

 

Patristic reading

Saint John Chrysostom (344/354 – 407)

Homily 86

on John 20: 10 - 21

"Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulcher, weeping." 

[ 1.] Full of feeling somehow is the female sex, and more1 inclined to pity. I say this, lest thou shouldest wonder how it could be that Mary wept bitterly at the tomb, while Peter was in no way so affected. For, “The disciples,” it saith, “went away unto their own home”; but she stood shedding tears. Because hers was a feeble nature, and she as yet knew not accurately the account of the Resurrection; whereas they having seen the linen clothes and believed, departed to their own homes in astonishment. And wherefore went they not straightway to Galilee, as had been commanded them before the Passion? They waited for the others, perhaps, and besides they were yet at the height of their amazement. These then went their way: but she stood at the place, for, as I have said, even the sight of the tomb tended greatly to comfort her. At any rate, thou seest her, the more to ease her grief, stooping down,2 and desiring to behold the place where the body lay. Therefore she received no small reward for this her great zeal. For what the disciples saw not, this saw the woman first, Angels3 sitting, the one at the feet, the other at the head, in white; even the dress4 was full of much radiance5 and joy. Since the mind of the woman was not sufficiently elevated to accept the Resurrection from the proof of the napkins, something more takes place, she beholdeth something more; Angels sitting in shining garments, so as to raise her thus awhile from her passionate sorrow, and to comfort her. But they said nothing to her concerning the Resurrection, yet is she gently led forward in this doctrine. She saw countenances bright and unusual; she saw shining garments, she heard a sympathizing voice. For what saith (the Angel)?
Jn 20,13. “Woman, why weepest thou?”By all these circumstances, as though a door was being opened for her, she was led by little and little to the knowledge of the Resurrection. And the manner of their sitting invited her to question them, for they showed that they knew what had taken place; on which account they did not sit together either, but apart from one another. For because it was not likely that she would dare at once to question them, both by questioning her, and by the manner of their sitting, they bring her to converse. What then saith she?She speaks very warmly and affectionately; “They 6 have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.” “What sayest thou? Knowest thou not yet anything concerning the Resurrection, but dost thou still form fancies about His being laid 7 ?” Seest thou how she had not yet received the sublime doctrine? Jn 20,14. “And when she had thus said, she turned herself back.”

8
And by what kind of consequence is it, that she having spoken to them, and not having yet heard anything from them, turned back? Me-thinks that while she was speaking, Christ suddenly appearing behind her, struck the Angels with awe; and that they having beheld their Ruler, 9 showed immediately by their bearing, their look, their movements, that they saw the Lord; 10 and this drew the woman’s attention, and caused her to turn herself backwards. To them then He appeared on this wise, but not so to the woman, in order not at the first sight to terrify her, but in a meaner and ordinary form, as is clear from her supposing that He was the gardener. It was meet to lead one of so lowly a mind to high matters, not all at once, but gently. He therefore in turn asketh her,
Jn 20,15. “Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?”

This showed that He knew what she wished to ask, and led her to make answer. And the woman, understanding this, doth not again mention the name of Jesus, but as though her questioner knew the subject of her enquiry replies,

“Sir, 11 if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”
Again she speaks of laying down, and taking away, and carrying, as though speaking of a corpse. But her meaning is this; “If ye have borne him hence for fear of the Jews, tell me, and I will take him.” Great is the kindness and loving affection of the woman, but as yet there is nothing lofty with her. 12 Wherefore He now setteth the matter before her, not by appearance, but by Voice. For as He was at one time known to the Jews, and at another time unperceived 13 though present; so too in speaking, He, when He chose, then made Himself known; as also when He said to the Jews, “Whom seek ye?” they knew neither the Countenance nor the Voice until He chose. And this was the case here. And He named her name only, 14 reproaching and blaming her that she entertained such fancies concerning One who lived. 

 

Dimanche des Rameaux: une liturgie de la passion de l’Amour.

 Rite Romain

Dimanche des Rameaux et de la Passion du Seigneur – Année B – 24 mars 2024 

Is 50, 4-7; Ps 21; Ph 2, 6-11; Mc 14, 1-15, 47.

 

Rite Ambrosien

Semaine "authentique" - Dimanche des Rameaux dans la Passion du Seigneur.

Is 52, 13-53, 12; Ps 87; He 12, 1b-3; Jn 11, 55-12, 11

 

1) Du bois des rameaux à celui de la Croix.

Aujourd'hui commence la passion d'amour de Jésus Christ, notre Sauveur. Les rites du Dimanche des Rameaux nous invitent à participer à la joie du peuple hébreux qui assiste à l'entrée solennelle et festive de Jésus à Jérusalem:

⁃    les rameaux que la foule agite en signe de victoire.

⁃    les manteaux étendus à terre pour honorer le Messie qui entre à dos d'âne.

⁃    les hosannas festifs des enfants et du peuple.

⁃    la procession triomphale qui acclame Jésus Christ, Roi des rois et Seigneur des seigneurs.

On s'identifie spontanément à cette foule festive, on s'unit aux chants, on participe à ce triomphe.

 

L'exaltation de la fête, malheureusement, dure très peu de temps et se transforme très rapidement en mort et en humiliation. Pour passer de la joie du triomphe des rameaux à la joie de la résurrection, le Christ doit passer à travers la dure expérience de la passion, de la croix et de la mort. C'est un parcours mystérieux, très difficile à comprendre humainement et la seconde lecture de la messe d'aujourd'hui en parle ainsi : "Le Christ Jésus, ayant la condition de Dieu, ne retint pas jalousement le rang qui l'égalait à Dieu. Mais il s'est anéanti, prenant la condition de serviteur, devenant semblable aux hommes. Reconnu homme à son aspect, il s'est abaissé, devenant obéissant jusqu'à la mort, et la mort de la croix" (Ph 2, 6-8).

 

Dans l'austère liturgie du Vendredi Saint, nous écouterons à nouveau ces paroles qui continuent ainsi: "C'est pourquoi Dieu l'a exalté: il l'a doté du Nom qui est au dessus de tout nom, afin qu'au nom de Jésus tout genou fléchisse au ciel, sur terre et aux enfers, et que toute langue proclame: "Jésus Christ est Seigneur" à la gloire de Dieu le Père" (Ph 2, 9-11).

 

Abaissement et exaltation: voici la clef pour comprendre le mystère pascal; voici la clef pour pénétrer le stupéfiant dessein de Dieu qui s'accomplit dans les événements de la Pâque.

 

La royauté du Christ s'exprime dans cet abaissement, dans ce dépouillement total, dans ce devenir serviteur et esclave en une très profonde et complète humiliation.

 

En effet la lecture de la passion du Christ met devant nos yeux les scènes terribles de la passion de Jésus: sa souffrance physique et morale, le baiser de Judas, l'abandon des disciples, le procès devant Pilate, les insultes et les railleries, la condamnation, le chemin de croix, la crucifixion. Enfin la souffrance la plus mystérieuse: "Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, pourquoi m'as-tu abandonné?" Un cri fort et puis la mort.

 

Pourquoi tout cela? Le début de la prière eucharistique nous donne la réponse: "Lui qui était sans péché accepta la passion pour nous pécheurs et, se livrant à une condamnation injuste, il porta le poids de nos péchés. Par sa mort, il effaça nos fautes et par sa résurrection il gagna pour nous le salut" ( Préface).

 

Voilà pourquoi la célébration « eucharistique », (« reconnaissante »), exprime notre reconnaissance et notre amour envers Celui qui s'est sacrifié pour nous, le Serviteur de Dieu qui, comme l'avait annoncé le prophète, n'a pas opposé de résistance, n'a pas reculé, a présenté son dos aux flagellateurs, n'a pas détourné son visage devant les insultes et les crachats (Cf Is 50, 4-7).

 

Si d'un côté toute l'histoire (celle de l'humanité, celle de l’Église et celle de chacun d'entre nous) est marquée définitivement par la passion d'amour que le Fils de Dieu a souffert et offert pour nous, d'un autre coté, nous sommes appelés à proclamer aussi la gloire de Dieu le Père et son infinie miséricorde. Immergés dans la mort et dans la croix, attirés par le crucifix, nous pouvons être vraiment participants:

⁃    de sa glorieuse résurrection qui a vaincu le pouvoir de la mort et nous donne la vie pour toujours;

⁃    de sa royauté qui utilise le pouvoir de l'Amour, qui sait tirer le bien du mal, attendrir un cœur endurci et allumer l'espérance dans le noir le plus profond;

⁃    de son sacerdoce, qui le fait se tenir devant le Père à bras ouverts pour le servir dans la louange et servir son amour des hommes.

 

 

2) Le don passionné de soi du Christ.

 

Je pense qu'il est juste d'affirmer que pour l'évangéliste Marc, le fil rouge du récit de la passion, lu  aujourd'hui, est la prière de Jésus à son Père. C'est une prière qui exprime une sorte de déchirement intérieur mais, au delà de tout cela, il y a un élément stable: la conscience du propre rapport filial avec Dieu: "Père, Père". C'est une conscience qui ne disparaît jamais même dans l'épreuve. Et c'est de là que naît l'imploration. "Père, tout est possible pour toi. Éloigne de moi cette coupe." Si Dieu est Père et s'il peut tout, pourquoi ne le soustrait-il pas à l'épreuve? C'est la demande spontanée de l'homme et de l'homme-Jésus aussi. Mais après l'imploration, voici la confiance renouvelée, l'abandon sans réserve: "Cependant non pas ce que moi je veux, mais ce que toi tu veux". Et si au début de l'épisode de Jésus dans le jardin des oliviers, on nous décrit un Jésus angoissé et apeuré, à la fin – après la prière – on nous décrit un Jésus qui a retrouvé la sérénité et la fermeté: "Levez-vous! Allons! Voici qu'il est proche celui qui me livre." Le Père n'a pas soustrait Jésus à la croix mais l'a aidé à s’étendre dessus et à porter les fruits de la vie éternelle.

 

C'est l'amour du Père qui envoie le Fils sur la Croix. Il offre son Fils pour le salut du monde. En même temps, c'est l'amour du Fils qui ne "juge" pas le monde mais se sacrifie lui-même par amour envers le Père et pour le salut du monde. En se donnant lui-même au Père à travers le sacrifice de la croix, Jésus s'offre en même temps aussi au monde: à chaque personne et à l'humanité entière qui a besoin de miséricorde.

 

Terminons cette réflexion sur le dimanche des Rameaux en invitant à le vivre dans la louange, comme l'ont fait ceux qui ont accueilli Jésus à Jérusalem avec leurs "Hosannas", et dans la reconnaissance parce que lors de la Semaine Sainte, notre Seigneur et notre frère Jésus renouvellera le don le plus grand que l'on puisse imaginer: il nous donnera sa vie, son corps, son sang et son amour.

 

Répondons à ce don si grand en prenant exemple sur les Vierges Consacrées c'est à dire en donnant notre temps, notre prière, notre être et en nous donnant nous-mêmes en communion profonde d'amour avec le Christ qui souffre, meurt et ressuscite pour nous. Devant le Christ, étendons notre vie, notre personne dans une attitude de gratitude et d'adoration comme les vierges le jour de leur consécration. De cette façon nous imiterons aussi les habitants de Jérusalem qui étendirent leurs manteaux devant le Messie qui passait au milieu d'eux, accueillant l'invitation de Saint André Évêque de Crête: "Étendons-nous nous-mêmes humblement devant le Christ plutôt que les tuniques ou les branches inanimées et les rameaux verts qui réjouissent les yeux seulement pour quelques heures et sont destinés à perdre, avec la sève aussi, leur couleur verte. Étendons-nous nous-mêmes, revêtus de sa grâce, ou mieux, de tout lui-même ... et prosternons-nous à ses pieds comme des tuniques étendues ... pour pouvoir offrir au vainqueur de la mort, non plus de simples rameaux de palme mais des trophées de victoire. En agitant les rameaux spirituels de l’âme, nous aussi, tous les jours, avec les enfants, acclamons-le saintement:"Bénis soit celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur, le roi d’Israël" (PG 97, 994).  

 

 

 

Lecture patristique

B. Guerric d'Igny (1075 - 1157)
Sermons sur les Rameaux, 3,25

SC 202, 188-192 198-200

 

Bien des gens ont été stupéfaits du triomphe glorieux remporté par Jésus lorsqu'il fit son entrée à Jérusalem, alors que peu après il montra dans sa passion un visage sans gloire et humilié.

Si l'on considère en même temps la procession d'aujourd'hui et la passion, on voit Jésus, d'un côté sublime et glorieux, de l'autre humble et misérable. Car dans la procession il reçoit des honneurs royaux, et dans la passion on le voit châtié comme un bandit. Ici, la gloire et l'honneur l'environnent, là il n'a ni apparence ni beauté (cf. Is 53,2). Ici, c'est la joie des hommes et la fierté du peuple; là, c'est la honte des hommes et le mépris du peuple (cf. Ps 21,7). Ici, on l'acclame: Hosanna au fils de David. Béni soit le roi d'Israël qui vient (cf. Mc 11,10). Là, on hurle qu'il mérite la mort et on se moque de lui parce qu'il s'est fait roi d'Israël. Ici, on accourt vers lui avec des palmes; là, ils le soufflettent au visage avec leurs paumes, et l'on frappe sa tête à coups de roseau. Ici, on le comble d'éloges; là, il est rassasié d'injures. Ici, on se dispute pour joncher sa route avec le vêtement des autres; là, on le dépouille de ses propres vêtements. Ici, on le reçoit dans Jérusalem comme le roi juste et le Sauveur; là, il est chassé de Jérusalem comme un criminel et un imposteur. Ici, il est monté sur un âne, assailli d'hommages; là, il est pendu au bois de la croix, déchiré par les fouets, transpercé de plaies et abandonné par les siens.

Si nous voulons, mes frères, suivre notre chef sans trébucher à travers la prospérité comme à travers l'adversité, contemplons-le mis en honneur dans cette procession, soum is aux outrages et aux souffrances dans sa passion, mais gardant une âme immuable dans un tel bouleversement.

Seigneur Jésus, c'est toi, joie et salut de tous, que tous bénissent de leurs voeux, qu'ils te voient monté sur l'âne ou suspendu à la croix. Que tous puissent te voir régnant sur ton trône royal et te louent pour les siècles des siècles. A toi louange et honneur pour tous les siècles des siècles.

et aussi

 

Saint Augustin d’Hippone (354 - 430)
Homélies sur l'évangile de saint Jean, 51, 2-4

CCL 36, 440-441.

 

La grande foule qui était venue pour la fête, apprenant que Jésus venait à Jérusalem, prit des branches de palmier et sortit à sa rencontre. Les gens criaient: Hosanna! Béni soit celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur! Béni soit le roi d'Israël! (Jn 12,12-13) Les rameaux de palmier sont des louanges symbolisant la victoire que le Seigneur allait remporter sur la mort en mourant lui-même, et le triomphe qu'il allait obtenir sur le démon, prince de la mort, par le trophée de la croix. <>

Béni soit celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur, le roi d'Israël! Cette acclamation doit se comprendre plutôt en ce sens: "Béni soit celui qui vient au nom du Père", bien qu'on puisse aussi comprendre: celui qui vient en son propre nom, parce que lui-même aussi est Seigneur.

Mais ses paroles nous orientent plutôt vers le sens que nous proposons, car il a dit: Moi, je suis venu au nom du Père, et vous ne me recevez pas; si un autre vient en son propre nom, celui-là, vous le recevrez (Jn 5,43)! En effet, le Christ est le maître de l'humilité, lui qui s'est abaissé en devenant obéissant jusqu'à mourir, et à mourir sur une croix (Ph 2,8). Car il ne perd pas sa divinité lorsqu'il nous enseigne l'humilité. Par celle-là il est égal au Père, par celle-ci il est semblable à nous. Par le fait qu'il est égal au Père, il nous a créés pour que nous existions; par le fait qu'il nous est semblable, il nous a rachetés, pour que nous ne périssions pas.

La foule lui adressait donc ces louanges: Béni soit celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur, le roi d'Israël! Quel supplice l'esprit envieux des chefs des Juifs pouvait-il supporter, quand toute cette foule acclamait le Christ comme son roi! Mais qu'est-ce que cela pouvait représenter pour le Seigneur, d'être le roi d'Israël? Quelle grandeur y avait-il pour le roi des siècles (1Tm 1,17) à devenir un roi pour les hommes? Car le Christ n'était pas roi d'Israël pour exiger l'impôt, pour armer des troupes ni pour terrasser visiblement des ennemis. Il est roi d'Israël pour gouverner des âmes, veiller à leurs intérêts éternels et conduire au Royaume des cieux ceux qui ont mis en lui leur foi, leur espérance, leur amour. Donc, si le Fils égal au Père, le Verbe par qui tout a été fait (Jn 1,3), a voulu être roi d'Israël, ce fut de sa part compassion et non promotion, une marque de miséricorde, non un accroissement de pouvoir. Car celui qui fut appelé sur terre le roi des Juifs, est dans les cieux le Seigneur des anges. <>

Jésus, trouvant w« petit âne, monta dessus. Il accomplissait ainsi l'Écriture: N'aie pas peur, fille de Sion. Voici ton roi qui vient, monté sur le petit d'un ânesse(Jn 12,15 Za 9,9). Cette fille de Sion, à laquelle sont adressées ces paroles inspirées, faisait partie de ces brebis qui écoutaient la voix du pasteur; elles étaient dans cette foule qui louait avec tant d'enthousiasme la venue du Seigneur, qui l'escortait par un tel cortège. C'est à elle qu'il a été dit: N'aie pas peur (Jn 12,15). Reconnais celui que tu acclames et ne tremble pas devant sa passion, car ce sang qui est répandu, c'est lui qui effacera ton péché et te rendra la vie.

 

 

 

Palm Sunday: liturgy of the passion of Love.

Roman Rite – Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion- Year B - March 24^th, 2024

Is 50.4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2, 6-11; Mk 14,1-15,47

 

Ambrosian Rite

Is 52, 13-53.12; Ps 88; Heb 12.1b-3; Jn 11.55-12.11

Authentic Week - Palm Sunday in the Passion of the Lord

 

 

1) From the wood of the palms to the wood of the Cross.

Today begins the passion of love of Jesus Christ, our Savior. The Palm Sunday rites invite us to participate in the joy of the Jewish people who witness the solemn and festive entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem:

- the palms that people shake as a sign of victory,

- the cloaks lying on the ground to honor the Messiah who enters on the back of a donkey,

- the festive hosanna of the children and the people,

- the triumphal procession that acclaims Christ Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords.

It is natural to identify oneself in that festive crowd, to sing those songs, and to participate in that triumph.

Unfortunately, the exaltation of the feast lasts very little, and it is transformed very quickly into humiliation and death. To go from the joy of the triumph of the palms to that one of the resurrection, Christ must go through the hard experience of the passion, the cross and death. Humanely speaking, it is a very difficult path to understand, and the second reading of today's Mass makes us aware of this mysterious journey: "Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."(Phil 2: 6-8)

In the austere liturgy of the Good Friday we will listen to these words and to the following ones: "Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"(ibid. 2, 9-11).

Lowering and exaltation: this is the key to understanding the paschal mystery. Here is the key to penetrating the amazing design of God that is accomplished in the events of Easter.

The kingship of Christ is expressed in this lowering, in this total dispossession, and in becoming a servant and a slave in a profound and complete humiliation.

In fact, the reading of the Passion of Christ puts before our eyes the terrible scenes of the passion of Jesus: his physical and moral suffering, the kiss of Judas, the abandonment by the disciples, the trial before Pilate, the insults and the taunts, the conviction, the painful way to the cross, the crucifixion and, at the end, the most mysterious suffering: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". A loud cry, and then death.

Why all of this? The beginning of the Eucharistic prayer gives us the answer: "He, who was sinless, accepted the passion for us sinners and, delivering himself to an unjust condemnation, carried the burden of our sins. With his death he washed our faults and with his resurrection he acquired salvation for us "(Preface).

This is why our Eucharistic (= grateful) celebration expresses gratitude and love to the One who sacrificed himself for us, to the Servant of God who, as the prophet had said, did not oppose resistance, did not retreat but presented his back to the scourers, and did not turn away his face from insults and spitting (cf. Is 50, 4-7).

If, on the one hand, the whole history (that of humanity, that of the Church and that of each one of us) is marked by the passion of love that the Son of God suffered and offered for us, on the other hand we are called to also proclaim the glory of God the Father and his infinite mercy. Immersed in death and in the cross, attracted by the Crucifix, we can truly take part,

- in his glorious resurrection, that has defeated the power of death and gives us life forever.

- in his kingship, which uses the power of Love and knows how to derive good from evil, to soften a hardened heart, and to ignite hope in the deepest darkness. 

- in his priesthood, which makes him stand before the Father with open arms to serve him in praise and to take his love to all men and women.

 

 

2) The passionate offer of Christ.

I think that it is correct to state that, for the evangelist Mark, the common thread of the story of the passion we read today is the prayer of Jesus to the Father. It is a prayer that expresses a sort of inner laceration, but, beyond everything, there is a fundamental point: the awareness of his filial relationship with God: "Abba", father. It is an awareness that never fails even in the trial. And it is precisely here that the imploring is born: "Everything is possible for you. Remove this cup from me ". If God is a Father and can do everything, why does he not take his son away from the trial? This is the spontaneous question of man, also of the man-Jesus. But after the imploring, come the renewed trust and the abandonment without reserve: "But not what I want, but what you want". If at the beginning of the episode of Jesus in the Garden of Olives we see an anguished and frightened Jesus, at the end - after the prayer - we see a Jesus who has rediscovered serenity and firmness: "Get up, come on, he who betrays me is near ". The Father did not take Jesus away from the Cross, but he helped him to lay on it and bear the fruits of eternal life.

It is the love of the Father who sends the Son on the Cross. He offers his Son for the salvation of the world. At the same time, it is the love of the Son who does not "judge" the world but sacrifices himself for the love of the Father and for the salvation of the world. By giving himself to the Father through the sacrifice of the cross, Jesus offers - at the same time - himself to the world: to every single person and to the whole of humanity in need of mercy.

I’d like to end these reflections on Palm Sunday, inviting you to live it in praise as did those who welcomed Jesus in Jerusalem with their "hosannas", and in thanksgiving, because even the Holy Week is great. Our Lord and brother Jesus will renew the greatest gift you can imagine, he will give us his life, his body and blood, and his love.

Let us respond to this great gift following the example of Consecrated Virgins and donate ourselves, our time, our prayer, and our being in deep communion of love with Christ who suffers, dies and rises for us. Let us lay down before Christ our life and ourselves in an attitude of gratitude and adoration like the virgins on the day of their consecration. Doing so, we will also imitate the people of Jerusalem, who spread their cloaks in front of Messiah moving among them, accepting the invitation of St. Andrew, Bishop of Crete: "Let us humbly lay ourselves before Christ, instead of the tunics or the inanimate branches and the green fronds that brighten the eyes only for a few hours and are destined to lose, with the sap, also their green. Let us stretch ourselves covered with his grace, or rather, covered of him ... and prostrate ourselves at his feet like tunics lying down ... to be able to offer to the winner of death not simple palm branches, but trophies of victory. By shaking the spiritual branches of the soul let us, together with the children, devoutly acclaim everyday: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel" (PG 97, 994).

 

 

 

 

Patristic reading

Golden Chain

on Mark 14: 1 - 9

 

 

Pseudo-Jerome: Let us now sprinkle our book, and our thresholds, with blood, and put the scarlet thread around the house of our prayers, and bind scarlet on our hand, as was done to Zarah (Gn 38,30), that we may be able to say that the red heifer () is slain in the valley (Dt 21,4). For the Evangelist, being about to speak of the slaying of Christ, premises, "After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of unleavened bread."
Bede, Marc., iv, 43: Pascha, which in Hebrew is, phase, is not called from Passion, as many think, but from passing over, because the destroyer, seeing the blood on the doors of the Israelites, passed by them, and did not smite them; or the Lord Himself, bringing aid unto His people, walked above them.
Pseudo-Jerome: Or else, phrase, is interpreted as a passing over, but Pascha means sacrifice. In the sacrifice of the lamb, and the passing of the people through the sea, or through Egypt, the Passion of Christ is prefigured, and the redemption of the people from hell, when He visits us after two days, that is, when the moon is most full, and the age of Christ is perfect, that when no part at all of it is dark, we may eat the flesh of the Lamb without spot, Who (p. 274) taketh away the sins of the world, in one house, that is, in the Catholic Church, shod with charity, and armed with virtue.
Bede: The difference according to the Old Testament between the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread was, that the day alone on which the lamb was slain in the evening, that is, the fourteenth moon of the first month, was called Passover. But on the fifteenth moon, when they came out of Egypt, the feast of unleavened bread came on, which solemn time was appointed for seven days, that is, up to the twenty-first day of the same month in the evening. But the Evangelists indifferently use the day of unleavened bread for the Passover, and the Passover for the days of unleavened bread. Wherefore Mark also here says, "After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of unleavened bread," because the day of the Passover was also ordered to be celebrated on the days of unleavened bread, and we also, as it were, keeping a continual passover, ought always to be passing out of this world.
Pseudo-Jerome: But iniquity came forth in Babylon from the princes, who ought to have purified the temple and the vessels, and themselves according to the law, in order to eat the lamb.
Wherefore there follows: "And the Chief Priests and the Scribes sought how they might take Him by craft, and put him to death."
Now when the head is slain, the whole body is rendered powerless, wherefore these wretched men slay the Head. But they avoid the feast day, which indeed befits them, for what feasting can there be for them, who have lost life and mercy?
Wherefore it goes on: "But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people."
Bede: Not indeed, as the words seem to imply, that they feared the uproar, but they were afraid lest He should be taken out of their hands by the aid of the people.
Theophylact: Nevertheless, Christ Himself had determined for Himself the day of His Passion; for He wished to be crucified on the Passover, because He was the true Passover.

7403 Mc 14,3-9

Bede: The Lord when about to suffer for the whole world, and to redeem all nations with His Blood, dwells in Bethany, that is, in the house of obedience.
Wherefore it is said, "And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman."
Pseudo-Jerome: For the fawn amongst the stags ever comes back to his couch, that is, the Son, obedient to the Father even unto death, seeks for obedience from us.
Bede: He says "of Simon the leper", not because he remained still a leper at that time, but because having once been such, he was healed by Our Saviour; his former name is left, that the virtue of the Healer may be made manifest.
Theophylact: But although the four Evangelists record the anointing by a woman, there were two women and not one; one described by John, the sister of Lazarus; it was she who six days before the Passover anointed the feet of Jesus; another described by the other three Evangelists. Nay, if you examine, you will find three; (p. 276) for one is described by John, another by Luke, a third by the other two. For that one described by Luke is said to be a sinner and to have come to Jesus during the time of His preaching; but this other described by Matthew and Mark is said to have come at the time of the Passion, nor did she confess that she had been a sinner.
Augustine, de Con. Evan., ii, 79: I however think that nothing else can be meant, but that the sinner who then came to the feet of Jesus was none other than the same Mary who did this twice; once, as Luke relates it, when coming for the first time with humility and tears she merited the remission of her sins. For John also relates this, when he began to speak of the raising of Lazarus before He came to Bethany, saying, "It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick." (Jn 11,2)
But what she again did at Bethany is another act, unrecorded by Luke, but mentioned in the same way by the other three Evangelists. In that therefore Matthew and Mark say that the head of the Lord was anointed by the woman, whilst John says the feet, we must understand that both the head and the feet were anointed by the woman. Unless because Mark has said that she broke the box in order to anoint His head, any one is so fond of cavilling as to deny that, because the box was broken, any could remain to anoint the feet of the Lord. But a man of a more pious spirit will contend that it was not broken so as to pour out the whole, or else that the feet were anointed before it was broken, so that there remained in the unbroken box enough to anoint the head.
Bede: Alabaster is a sort of white marble, veined with various colors which is often hollowed out for boxes of ointment, because it keeps things of that nature most uncorrupt. Nard is an aromatic shrub of a large and thick root, but short, black and brittle; though unctuous, it smells like cypress, and has a sharp taste, and small and dense leaves. Its tops spread themselves out like ears of corn, therefore, its gift being double, perfumers make much of the spikes and the leaves of the nard. And this is what is meant by Mark, when he says "spikenard very precious", that is, the ointment which Mary brought for the Lord was not made of the root of nard, but even, what made it more precious, by the addition of the spikes and the leaves, the gratefulness of its smell and virtue was augmented.
Theophylact, Matthew 26:2 : (p. 277) Or as is said in Greek, of pistic nard, that is, faithful, because the ointment of the nard was made faithfully and without counterfeit.
Augustine, de Con. Evan. ii, 78: It may appear to be a contradiction, that Matthew and Mark after mentioning "two days" and "the Passover", and afterwards that Jesus was in Bethany, where that precious ointment is mentioned; whilst John, just before he speaks of the anointing, says, that Jesus came into Bethany six days before the feast. (Jn 12,1) But those persons who are troubled by this, are not aware that Matthew and Mark do not place that anointing in Bethany immediately after that two days of which he foretold, but by way of recapitulation at the time when there were yet six days to the Passover.
Pseudo-Jerome: Again in a mystic sense, Simon the leper means the world, first infidel, and afterwards converted, and the woman with the alabaster box, means the faith of The Church, who says, My spikenard sendeth forth its smell. It is called pistic nard, that is, faithful and precious. The house filled with the smell of it is heaven and earth; the broken alabaster box is carnal desire, which is broken at the Head, from which the whole body is framed together, whilst He was reclining, that is, humbling Himself, that the faith of the sinner might be able to reach Him, for she went up from the feet to the head, and down from the head to the feet by faith, that is, to Christ and to His members.
It goes on: "And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this loss of the ointment?"
By the figure synecdoche, one is put for many, and many for one; for it is the lost Judas who finds loss in salvation; thus in the fruitful vine rises the snare of death. Under the cover of his avarice, however, the mystery of faith speaks; for our faith is bought for three hundred pence, in our ten senses (denarii, i.e. ten senses), that is, our inward and outward senses which are again trebled by our body, soul and spirit.
Bede: and in that he says, "And they murmured against her," we must not understand this to be spoken of the faithful Apostles, but rather of Judas mentioned in the plural.
Theophylact: Or else, it appears to be aptly implied that many disciples murmured against the woman, because they had often heard our Lord talking of alms. Judas, however, was indignant, but not with the same feeling, but on account of his love of money, and filthy gain; (p. 278) wherefore John also records him alone, as accusing the woman with a fraudulent intent. But he says, "They murmured against her," meaning that they troubled her with reproaches, and hard words. Then Our Lord reproves His disciples, for throwing obstacles against the wish of the woman.
Wherefore it goes on: "And Jesus said, Let her alone, why trouble ye her?" For after she had brought her gift, they wished to prevent her purpose by their reproaches.
Origen, on Matthew, 35: For they were grieved at the waste of the ointment, which might be sold for a large sum and given to the poor. This however ought not to have been, for it was right that it should be poured over the head of Christ, with a holy and fitting stream; wherefore it goes on, "She hath wrought a good work on me."
And so effectual is the praise of this good work, that it ought to excite all of us to fill the head of the Lord with sweet-smelling and rich offerings, that of us it may be said that we have done a good work over the head of the Lord. For we always have with us, as long as we remain in this life, the poor who have need of the care of those who have made progress in the word, and are enriched in the wisdom of God; they are not however able always day and night to have with them the Son of God, that is, the Word and Wisdom of God.
For it goes on: "For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have not always.
Bede: To me, indeed, He seems to speak of His bodily presence, that He should by no means be with them after His Resurrection, as He then was living with them in all familiarity.
Pseudo-Jerome: He says also, "She hath wrought a good work on me," for whosoever believes on the Lord, it is counted unto Him for righteousness. For it is one thing to believe Him, and to believe on Him, that is, to cast ourselves entirely upon Him.
It goes on: "She hath done what she could, she is come aforehand to anoint My Body to the burying."
Bede: As if the Lord said, What ye think is a waste of ointment is the service of my burial.

Theophylact: For "She is come aforehand" as though led by God "to anoint my body", as a sign of my approaching burial; by which He confounds the traitor, as if He said, With what conscience canst thou confound the woman, who anoints my body to the burial, and dost not (p. 279) confound thyself, who wilt deliver me to death? But the Lord makes a double prophecy; one that the Gospel shall be preached over the whole world, another that the dead of the woman shall be praised.
Wherefore it goes on: "Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."
Bede: Observe, also, that as Mary won glory throughout the whole world for the service which she rendered to the Lord, so, on the contrary, he who was bold enough to reprove her service, is held in infamy far and wide; but the Lord in rewarding the good the due praise has passed over in silence the future shame of the impious.