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Catholic Charities USA
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Today's Lectionary Readings
[link removed]
How do you survive the "Passions" of life? Jesus went from
the high of riding into Jerusalem to the sound of cheers and praise on
a donkey to the low of hanging on a cross in excruciating pain,
feeling completely abandoned. Where was God in all of
this? Where is God in the natural disasters, the violence and
the political injustice?
Jesus turned to his roots and cried out the psalms of his taught
faith. But before he was taught his faith, he had an experience of God
and unconditional love.
I was blessed to have the experience of God through the unconditional
love of my family who also taught me my faith.
But there is such a large population of people who are not born into
love but into hopelessness and, many times, violence. It is hard to
imagine the emptiness or void. Many children grow up thinking
the odds are slim they will live past 17. This provides a "do
what you can, while you can" outlook on life.
When I hear the stories, one after another, of our incarcerated
brothers and sisters, it is like hearing the passion narrative
replayed in modern times. Sixty percent (60%)* of the incarcerated did
not stay grounded in reality due to drugs, and many made any choice
possible to try and eliminate their pain, at the expense of
others. Family, society and systems had abandoned so many of
them, and "love" only came with a price.
There is a powerful line in our Apostles Creed: He descended into
hell. We believe Jesus took on our sins and redeemed them.
We envision Jesus becoming one with those who lived a life of hell, a
life of hopelessness: those not knowing any other option existed
beyond "I'm going to be dead by 17."
When someone reaches out and provides an experience of unconditional
love to another, it provides a context to comprehend the unconditional
love of God. Many come to realize that Jesus has been
accompanying them through their hell, died for them, and has redeemed
them. Their transformation is unbelievable to witness; a true
resurrection. Why did they have to live a lifetime of hell,
while I had a lifetime of unconditional love? That's a question
for God in the next life. But their transformations have touched
my life now in deep, deep places and transformed me. It is a
gift not taken for granted.
Sharing the gift of unconditional love and allowing the exchange to
transform us both is what Jesus lived, suffered, and died to teach us.
The call to love one another and accompany each other through our
passions is the Gospel message, as Jesus demonstrated in the Passion
narrative today. We are all called to be one.
Karen Clifton is Executive Coordinator of Catholic Prison Ministries
Coalition.
[link removed]
* Statistic from the Bureau of Justice
This and other Catholic Charities USA reflections may be viewed here.
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