Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 26:39

The passion of Christ which is recorded in all four gospels (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13) is more than a record of one individual’s suffering. It is a process through which all who call themselves Christians must enter. That is why there is so much we can identify with in this passion account.

Generally, we tend to see ourselves in this story only as sympathetic bystanders. But, we are more than that. We take the place of the judges, betrayers, cowardly disciples and executioners. How often do we condemn others or betray their trust? How quickly are we ready to unleash a bitter tongue, a piercing remark, a snap judgment? How mercilessly do we find ourselves following the crowd, taking the easy way out, shirking our responsibility to follow Christ? We may not like thinking about such things, but we must, if we are to cast off the works of the flesh and rise again to new life. The sins of the judges, disciples and executioners, for whom Christ died, were not just past sins. They are present-day sins which people commit daily.

We are invited in the passion story to identify with Christ on the cross. But doing so is not easy, for it means saying “yes” to hard questions. Are we willing to let go of bad habits? Are we willing to be vulnerable, to forgive those who hate us? Can we choose to forgive rather than seek revenge? Can we strive for unity among Christians rather than division? Can we choose life over death?

To identify with Christ; to follow him to the cross; means saying “yes” to all these questions. It means renouncing the seductions and attachments to sin in order to be set free.

Every year, as we gather in church to celebrate the passion of Christ on Palm Sunday, we become part of the greatest drama that has ever unfolded on earth. We recall how a master became a servant; how He humbled Himself and yet was exalted above every other creature; how death was swallowed up in life; how he gave us the mass, the sacrament of his love.

The passion story is the story of Christ’s love for us. It is the story of the first mass or new Passover that Christ celebrated with his disciples in the upper room before He went to his death: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,” He said. After giving them the bread: “my body which will be given for you,” and the wine: “the new covenant in my blood;” He bound them to: “do this in memory of me.” Sacrifice and communion, all wrapped up in the mass, is Christ’s lasting gift to us.

The passion of Christ is not a defeat; it is a victory and we are the beneficiaries. Christ laid down His life for our sins. There is no greater love than this.

Fr. Hugh Duffy