Mary on Palm Sunday

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week. God willing, we will be listening to the Passion narrative from Matthew’s Gospel (MT 26:14—27:66) at Mass. There’s no mention of Mary in this narrative, but John who wrote his Gospel after Matthew, Mark, and Luke gave us the touching scene of Mary with John at the foot of the Cross:

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. (Jn 19:26 - 30)

Each of the Gospel writers is a true author and wrote as they remembered, or as they learned from others, what Jesus said or did. All the human authors of Scripture however, also wrote under the inspiration of God so that we can say of the Scriptures, this is what God wants us to hear. “If today you hear His Voice, harden not your hearts.” (cf Psalm 95: 7-8; Heb 3:7)

As we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week, Jesus, of course, is our main focus, and yet we need, it seems to me, to remember what John, the last of the Gospel writers testifies to, and God indeed wants us to hear from Jesus, dying on the Cross. Jesus entrusted His Mother to John and through John to all the Church, saying: “Behold your Mother”. Even if Matthew’s Passion narrative does not mention our Mother Mary specifically as does John, it seems possible, indeed probable that Mary was with Jesus on Palm Sunday, and united with Him throughout His Passion. When we think of all Jesus suffered, how can we not think of Mary? Mothers suffer when their child suffers. No mother was as united with her child as Mary was on earth, and is now in heaven united with her Son. Jesus thirsted for souls, and in giving Mary to us, He gave us both His Mother and His Model “Follower”. He continues in His Word to give Mary to be our Mother and Model for remaining in Him. “It is finished”. Jesus completed His Father’s Will and now His Mission continues in His Church.

I’ve often posted this prayer: “O Jesus Living in Mary, come and live in your servants…” and today I want to add this about the author of the prayer, Fr. Olier, Founder of the Sulpician Order:

Jean-Jacques Olier, developed a spirituality in which he stressed the fact that the priest is an “alter Christus” (another Christ), and therefore someone who follows Christ in everything, including his relation to Mary. One of the main driving forces that led Fr. Olier to a Marian devotion was “the desire of adopting the same sentiments as our Lord with regard to his Blessed Mother”. That is why the Sulpicians were vigilant to see that every priest whom they trained could say: “I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Mary was given to them as a model of this attitude since Christ lived in her in the fullest sense of the word. As a result, “to honor Mary” meant to contemplate in her the life of Jesus and to see to it that Jesus lived in us like he lived in Mary. The best expression of this Christocentric Marian spirituality seems to be the prayer: “O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in your servants, in the spirit of holiness, in the fullness of your power, in the perfection of your ways, in the truth of your virtues, in the communion of your mysteries. Rule over every adverse power, in your Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.”

Come Holy Spirit fill us with the Fire of You Love.
Jesus we trust in You!
Mary, Mother of our Redeemer pray for us.