It has been almost 50 years (1970) since the new name for today's celebration was set, Dominica in palmis de Passione Domini, a combination of Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday. It is the only Sunday with two gospels: the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the Passion. And yet, most Catholics still just call it Palm Sunday. Why is that?
While a part of the reason is a combination of tradition and lack of catechesis, I wonder if a part of it isn't also our desire to evade the passion. Even the word has been watered down. At its heart it means "suffering," and yet, in modern English it simply refers to any strong emotion— "She has a passion for cooking."
We Catholics run from suffering. While the crucifix used to be the symbol that identified Catholic churches, homes, classrooms, and hospitals, even there, many have opted for the more palatable "resurrected Jesus" or empty cross.
Today we do not run. The bulk of today's liturgy is the reading of The Passion according to St. Matthew. And perhaps the most striking feature of St. Matthew's Passion is silence.
On Good Friday we will hear the Passion according to St. John. In his version Jesus has a response to every comment or question. He is in charge of the proceedings. By contrast, St. Matthew portrays Jesus as the suffering servant, the Lamb of sacrifice. Jesus embraces his suffering in silence — not the silence of resignation, but the silence of true acceptance and absolute trust in the Father.
Perhaps today is a good time for each of us to spend some time in silence, to honestly call to mind the sufferings large and small in our own lives, to one by one unite our sufferings to the sufferings of Christ, and with the peace that comes only from God walk with Jesus through His Suffering and Death, the only true path to Resurrection.
May this be a truly Holy Week!
