In an effort to stem the tide of COVID-19 we will keep the church locked. This does not mean your prayer life needs to stop! Watch here for Fr. Carre’s prayers and other posts to guide you at home. Father is available for confessions and private prayer time in the church by appointment. Please contact him on his cell phone.
Here is the link that will take you to today's taped Palm Sunday Mass:
Fr. Carré's Homily for Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Year A
Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66
Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
I hope you are staying safe and healthy with God’s grace.
On this Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord, we cannot gather here as a church family for our best hour of the week. Because of the corona virus pandemic, everyone is forced to stay at home. But that should not stop us from celebrating the day of the Lord. That should not keep us from singing: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord". The palm branch we received or will receive from the church will help us to remember this prayer and will be a sign of our commitment to the Lord. Throughout this holy week, we are invited to dive with Jesus in prayer.
The same Jesus wants to join us at the heart of our lives. He presents himself to us as the only one who can deliver us from all our distress. He alone can make us actors of a more human and more united life. His face is not that of a powerful and strong man. It is a face of a gentle and humble man. A few days later, it will be that of a crucified. The only crown that will be placed on the head of this king will be a crown of thorn. In the eyes of many, his death will be considered as a defeat. In reality, it will be a victory, the victory of love over sin.
In today’s first and second readings, the prophet Isaiah and Saint Paul present Jesus to us as the “servant” who lets himself be taught. He, who is the Word of God made flesh, has agreed to be silent. He did not resist the cries of his enemies. He, the Son of God, did not shy away from the outrages intended for him as if he were a slave.
The humiliation of the Passion made Jesus closer to all the unhappy who can no longer bear it. We think of all those who are reduced to misery, those who suffer from illness and loneliness, specially during this challenging time. And of course, we do not forget the very many Christians who testify to their faith until martyrdom. On the cross, the outstretched arms of Jesus gather all the humiliated of the earth.
Early Christians recognized Jesus as a martyr, a witness to God's love stronger than death. Disfigured by the violence of men, he is already transfigured by the Father; he is raised in glory. Henceforth every language will be able to proclaim: "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. "
Brothers and Sisters, we are going to live this special Holy Week in communion with all Christians around the world. We will follow Jesus on the way to Calvary. His death on Good Friday is not an end point. It is a "passage" from this world to the Father. This is how Jesus came to open up a path for us all to enter the glory of the Father. Even at home, with each other we will sing and proclaim: "Remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead. He is our salvation, our eternal glory. "
May our All-Powerful God continue to guard us, to protect and bless us, +the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
