Palm Sunday
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

      Jesus Christ, the King is here. As he enters the city of Jerusalem, he is heralded as a King, even though in the days that follow, he will be humiliated, accused, scourged, spit upon, crowned with thorns, and crucified. Through His suffering He blesses us, and now that we have learned more about Him, we know that He did all this to redeem mankind. We have also learned that in order to draw closer to Jesus in an ongoing relationship there is much suffering. We should examine our experience of sorrow and distress. Of humility and even of being exalted, as Jesus was on Palm Sunday as He entered Jerusalem. 

      Can we, on this Passion Sunday, sharpen our understanding of Jesus as the suffering one, and also probe our hearts as we deal with the suffering we experience today? Maybe we have relationship problems with others in our family, or we cannot see eye-to-eye with something done in Church. Or you find yourself in a situation where medicine you are receiving is not lessening your pain?

      As we explore our capacity for suffering, can we rejoice in Christ's mystery of suffering and pain? Or do we try to go it alone? When we place our pain at the foot of the Cross, we do not feel abandoned and we do not worry. We know Jesus is with us, and that He'll take care of us because He knows what real suffering is all about. And His love for us is boundless. 

      When we forget Him, and His Father, we cannot experience His great Love. We are closed to love, and nothing that can be said seems to get us out of our predicament. So, share your sufferings with Jesus in a prayerful attitude and allow Him to shower you with His Graces, as He thanks you for sharing His Cross.

      As this Holy Week in 2024 unfolds, I wish all of you a very holy time. A time of reflection and prayer. A time where you could especially be helpful to others, to those who suffer. To members of your Franciscan or Parish community. 

      In the Mirror of Perfection, § 92, we read about St. Francis: "A short while after his conversion, as he was walking alone along the road not far from the Church of S. Mary of the Portiuncula, he was uttering loud cries and lamentations as he went. And a spiritually-minded man who met him, fearing that he was suffering from some painful ailment, said to him, 'What is your trouble, brother?' But he replied, 'I am not ashamed to travel through the whole world in this way, bewailing the Passion of my Lord.' At this, the man joined him in his grief, and began to weep aloud. We have known this man and learned of this incident through him. He is one who has shown great kindness and compassion to blessed Francis and to us who were his companions."

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
2003. Rev. 3/14/2024

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