Lent VI Palm Sunday

Lent VI: Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord 2019 – Cycle C Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14 – 23:56

Jesus lived in a violent world. So do we.

Because of that, many people today carry hand guns on their persons. At least some of Jesus’ apostles carried swords. When we carry a weapon, we have set ourselves up to act in a violent manner. You have the means at hand. You need only the will. ““Lord, shall we strike with a sword?”      And one of the disciples struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.”  The disciple did not wait for a response from Jesus. He acted. Was it out of fear? Was it to defend his Master? Was it a knee – jerk reaction? Whatever the motive…. in the face of such outright violence the reply of Jesus is sharp, “Stop, no more of this!”

In the Christmas Season, we call Jesus, ‘Prince of Peace’. In these sacred days we watch as he becomes a victim of state sponsored torture and violence.  And then we go home.  Does the teaching of the Prince of Peace, “Stop, no more of this!” ever take root in our lives?

The words of Pope Paul VI to the United Nations in 1965 are similar to those of Jesus, «Plus de guerre, plus jamais de guerre»  “No more war, war never again!”  And like the words of Jesus, Pope Paul’s words have not been heeded by Christians or the world. And so, we are living in a violent time, finding ourselves engaged in what Pope Francis calls, “a horrifying world war fought piecemeal”.

Has there ever been a period of peace at any time in human history? Remember our story began with a fratricidal murder.

If there were ever a peaceful time, it was experienced by only the select few of those people in power, whose position of prominence was held and preserved by violence as it is today in so many nations.

Yet, have we ever asked ourselves, where does violence lead? Has violence achieved any goal of lasting value?

Not only did Jesus speak out against the violent action of his disciple; he also acted to address the violence. Do you remember what Jesus did in the face of this violent act? “Jesus touched the ear of the servant and healed him.” 

The Gospels do not record the response of anyone in the crowd to this act of compassion. What is your response to Jesus’ action?

Jesus showed us that violence is not the cure for our broken world. We watched him heal the ear of a servant. His presence reconciled the relationship between Herod and Pilate. The one who needed comfort, offered comfort to the woman of Jerusalem. Jesus prayed for forgiveness for those who were sinning against him. …promised salvation to a guilty criminal.

Violence is not the cure for our broken world. Violence profanes the name of God. Thus Jesus taught us to love even our enemies.

Why do we hardly ever refer to this teaching? Why do we prefer the more acceptable, love God and love neighbor and then summarily forget the parable of the Samaritan that followed; the parable about an enemy?

Consider last week’s gospel of the woman who was thrown in front of Jesus because she was caught in the very act of adultery.

Judge for yourself.

Who committed the greater sin, the woman, or the men that treated her with contempt, judgement and self – righteousness?  In a violent world, might the woman have been looking for love and comfort except in all the wrong places, while…what were those men looking for as they stood there with stones in hand?  Why didn’t they hold with the same contempt and judgment her male counterpart?

See violence is not just about guns and swords, armies and bombs, power and might.

Consider the violence of a kiss. …the violence of betrayal, …the violence of false accusation, …the violence of silence, …the violence of…

To accept the Good News of Jesus we must begin with the awareness and recognition of the violence within ourselves. What acts of violence have you and I committed?

Without that acknowledgement we can never be healed by God’s mercy becoming in turn instruments of peace and reconciliation.

Thus as he is dying, Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do”. Who is Jesus praying for? The disciples who deserted him? The Roman soldiers who were executing him? The Roman and Jewish elite who condemned him to death?

To accept any of these as the answer, seems to me an act of self-absolution. It allows us to avoid the reality that Jesus was praying for us.

Nonviolence is sometimes taken to mean surrender, but it is not the case. For the force of the world’s militaries, the threat of nuclear destruction or that of bullies is deceptive.  Nonviolence is not surrender nor an acquiescence to evil. To live the value of nonviolence is to actively confront evil in a radical manner that opens new, unexpected and just pathways for all involved in the conflict.

We have forgotten the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi and the Muslim Khan Abdul Ghaffer Khan who peacefully brought down an empire.  Are we aware of the thousands of Liberian women led by Leymah Roberta Gbowee who brought a civil war to an end? We have forgotten the marches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who challenged our country’s racism.  Are we cognizant of The Mothers of the Disappeared who challenged the military junta of Argentina?

All used nonviolent means to address injustice.

For Christians, nonviolence is not merely tactical behaviour but a  way of life. It is the attitude of a person who is so convinced of God’s love and power that they are not afraid to confront evil with the armaments of compassion and truth alone.

We prominently place in our churches the image of the tortured and crucified, dead body of Jesus.  I wonder how we would feel if we also imaged the apostles ready to strike with swords in their hands?