(Palm Sunday of the Passion-Year A; This homily was given on April 5, 2020 at a private Mass in Rome, Italy, in accord with the regulations of the Republic of Italy and the Vicariate of Rome; See Matthew 26: 14-27:66)
Every year we listen to the passion narrative on Palm Sunday. We know the details of Jesus’ suffering and death very well. We know all about the Last Supper, His agony in Gethsemane and His betrayal in the garden there. We know of His arrest and eventual trial before Pontius Pilate, and of His crucifixion on Calvary. Certainly Christ saw His passion in great detail before it happened. In fact, many times He predicted it to the disciples and tried to prepare them for it. None of this, however, takes away from the freedom of those who were there and how they experienced things, moment by moment.
One phrase in the very beginning of the passion narrative from St. Matthew this morning is chilling in this regard. We hear how Judas approached the chief priests, willing to betray the Son of God. The Gospel tells us that “They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over” (Matthew 26:15-16). Jesus knew well what awaited Him in Gethsemane. He knew that it would be in that place that He would be betrayed. Judas, however, did not. Most likely he considered it, but the Gospel relates, more generally, that “from that time on he looked for an opportunity.” He took the money, and then he waited and watched for an opportune moment. Maybe the first few times things did not pan out the way he had planned. He was diligent, though, and eventually his opportunity to accomplish his evil end arrived.
There are several senses of opportunity that we find this morning in the passion narrative. While Judas was seeking an opportunity with a malicious intent, there are several accounts in the passion that are not intentionally malicious. They are simply sad, tragic moments where opportunities are lost.
Jesus enters into the Garden of Gethsemane, overwhelmed with sorrow and distress (see Matthew 26:37). He needs to be close to His Father, and He needs to pray. Suddenly He chooses three of the Apostles, saying, “Remain here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). What an opportunity! Of all the disciples of Jesus, He had only chosen the Twelve to be Apostles, and of that number He picks these three, inviting them into one of the most intimate and meaningful moments of His life. Tragically, they missed that opportunity . . . three times.
Worse still, one of those three, St. Peter, will miss a singular opportunity a short while later. It is an opportunity that he has already declared—at the Last Supper—that he would never miss. When Christ had told them that they would all be shaken in their faith, Peter had been insistent. “Even though I should have to die with you,” he declared vehemently, “I will not deny you” (Matthew 26:35). In essence, Peter was saying, Give me an opportunity, and I will go to the end with you. I am ready for that moment. The opportunity arrived after Jesus was arrested, and Peter missed it . . . three times.
The Passion, however, offers us much more than malicious intent and opportunities lost. There are many examples of opportunities found, and tender moments where the disciples of Christ seized those occasions with both hands. One of them, literally, is Simon of Cyrene. He could have never guessed that morning, when he woke up, that he would be asked to carry the cross on which the Son of God would save the world. Perhaps he could have easily missed that opportunity. Just enough hesitation, a little more fear, and the soldiers would have quickly prevailed on another warm body to get the job done. As far as they were concerned, it mattered nothing at all who helped the Nazarene carry that cross. But it mattered to Simon. The opportunity arrived and he seized it, and the rest is salvation history.
The faithful women at the foot of the cross also made the most of the opportunity to be with Christ in the hour of need. None of them would have sought that opportunity. They loved Him so much, that they would have given anything not to see the shameful and public spectacle of the cross. But it happened in exactly that way, and they stood their ground and suffered along with Him.
One of them was Mary Magdalene, who does not cease to make the most of the opportunity, before during and after the passion of Christ. Another one was the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Remember, she was the one who wanted to see her sons, James and John, taking their place at the right and left of Jesus when His Kingdom arrived. Well, the Kingdom arrives on Calvary, and she is there to see it. Two thieves are taking the places she had wanted for her sons. It was not the opportunity she had been looking for, but she took it anyway. Somewhere on her own right or left, of course, would have stood Mary, the Mother of God.
And then there is Joseph of Arimathea. We know only two things about Joseph, that he was rich and that he was a disciple of Jesus. This man had means, and he knew how to make opportunities happen. He went to Pilate and requested the body. Pilate ordered it to be handed over to him. Jospeh took advantage of the location of his own new tomb and provided a burial place for the body of Christ. Jesus would not need it for long, of course, but for all eternity Joseph of Arimathea will be known as the man who owned the grave where Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
We enter Holy Week this morning, well aware that the opportunities to be with Jesus Christ are not limited to the passion narrative. Jesus invites every one of us to join Him in the intimacy of prayer. Perhaps that experience of prayer will be as bitter, dry and difficult as it was for Him; perhaps we will share in the consolation of tears that many experienced that day on Calvary. Our prayer could also be touched by the tenderness of God, who so frequently draws near to us in our own sorrow and distress, and comforts us with the love that knows no limits. The opportunity for prayer with Christ is most certainly being made available. Will we seize it?
Will we recognize those untimely opportunities that we are most certainly not expecting, moments where we will be invited to carry the cross or accompany Christ in His most difficult and painful moments? Like Joseph of Arimathea, will we make opportunities happen by whatever means we have at our disposal, knowing that God can never be outdone in generosity?
There are many, many opportunities available to us as we enter into Holy Week. We pray for the grace not to miss them. From this moment, with our eyes fixed on Easter, we begin anew to look for every opportunity to love Jesus.
