By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Ushers distribute palm fronds outside St. Mary Cathedral at the start of Palm Sunday Mass.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski processes into St. Mary Cathedral at the beginning of the Palm Sunday Mass. Ahead of the archbishop are Father Lesly Jean and the cathedral's rector, Father Christopher Marino. Father Richard Vigoa is immediately behind the archbishop.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski stands in front of the cathedra at the beginning of the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Mary Cathedral.
Argentina Bentley, 3, who attends the pre-school at St. Mary's, holds a palm frond at the Palm Sunday Mass at the cathedral.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski stands in front of the cathedra during the reading of the Passion at the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Mary Cathedral.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski stands in front of the cathedra throughout the reading of the Passion, which was sung by Gustavo Zayas, David Louis, and Deacon Alex Rivera during the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Mary Cathedral.
Rodrick Napoleon, 10, and his mom, Lucy, left, pray during the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Mary Cathedral.
Janeska Emilien, 10, fifth grader at St. Mary's Cathedral School, holds the archbishop's crosier and receives a blessing from Archbishop Thomas Wenski at the conclusion of the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Mary Cathedral.
Photography: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Homily by Archbishop Thomas Wenski at St. Mary Cathedral for Palm Sunday Mass. April 9, 2017.
“Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself if you are the Son of God.'”
To those who mocked and jeered at Jesus taunting him to come down from the cross, Jesus said nothing. Jesus’ silence only heightens the scandal of the cross and the mystery that surrounds it. Suffering challenges our ideas about God, especially a God whom we acknowledge as all powerful, all loving and just. What is God doing on a cross? Why does he suffer – and perhaps more importantly to us – why does he allow us to suffer?
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ |FC
Janeska Emilien, 10, fifth grader at St. Mary's Cathedral School, holds the archbishop's crosier and receives a blessing from Archbishop Thomas Wenski at the conclusion of the Palm Sunday Mass at St. Mary Cathedral.
Jesus came into the world to do the Father’s will (which was to save us) – but he came into a fallen world. Ever since that first sin of Adam and Eve, when they chose to live not for God but for themselves, the world has been a fallen world, a world turned against God. So why are we surprised that Jesus who comes into the world to do the Father’s will – to live for God and to turn the world towards God - why are we surprised that he encounters opposition and resistance?
But suffering, especially our own suffering, often provokes within us a crisis of faith. After all, don’t we believe in an all-powerful and all loving and just God? And if he is the God we believe he is, why doesn’t he take better care of us? When it seems that God is not at our beck and call our faith is shaken. We ask why bad things happen to good people, especially when those good people happen to be us. We want to know. And perhaps we have a right to know and most probably God will tell us – but he doesn’t have to tell us on this side of eternity. So faced with the cross in our lives we have two options: either we renounce our faith in God; or we open our minds to a new understanding of a God incarnate in our suffering, who loves us in ways we cannot comprehend.
Yes, on this side of eternity God may not tell us why we have to suffer what we suffer; but he does show us that we do not suffer alone. He suffers for us…God suffers with us. Our God is a compassionate God. This is the mystery of the passion and cross we celebrate this week – it is from the cross that the glory of God is revealed.
But we cannot look at the crucified Christ without looking at those crucified before our very eyes – and see him in them. Sin can harden our hearts and blind us to the sufferings of those around us. To celebrate the passion of the Lord means to rekindle in our hearts compassion – compassion for the poor among us, for the lonely; compassion for the sick, for the imprisoned, for the undocumented; compassion for those of broken hearts or broken spirits.
This Friday we are invited the kiss the cross. When we do so, let us also see all those, whether near or far from us, who suffer.
