My friends, as we returned this past week from our Witness for Peace delegation to Cuba, and reoriented ourselves to life in the United States, many thoughts, and ideas about how to help the Cuban people, many of whom we really grew to love while there, have been swirling around in our heads and have been laying heavily on our hearts as well.  And into this mix, falls Holy Week, the holiest week in our Church Year.  In looking over my reflections for Palm Sunday and the “holy days” of the upcoming week, from three years ago, I find that what the Spirit gave then, I couldn’t really improve on, so I will start there today and update as I go. 

   Now, I could give you some exegesis around the meaning of the readings today as we begin this holiest of weeks and probably, some thoughts will make their way into this homily; but I thought what might be a more meaningful way to go, would be to concentrate on what “this triumphal entry into Jerusalem” meant, ultimately, to our brother Jesus.

   This final journey to Jerusalem was the culmination of his relatively short life on this earth. We can only imagine the emotion he was experiencing! If he had been a musician; we might say that this action was his grand opus—the high point of all that his combined humanity and divinity had allowed and challenged him to proclaim. 

   All the prophets, especially the later ones such as, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel spoke eloquently about who Jesus, as the Messiah would be—one with humanity—with us, suffering all that we would suffer, and we might add—experiencing so much of the good that this life can bring through interactions with others, through caring and giving of himself for the least among us. 

   Our trip to Cuba was definitely about this; (caring for the least among us) or at least will be as we attempt in the days and weeks ahead, to speak to the needs of the Cuban people who are suffering so much due to our (the United States’) blockade of this tiny country in relationship to the size of our country, which in fact, is 28 times the size of Cuba.  Our Witness for Peace delegation was probably, for the most part, of the mindset that our 60+ year blockade of Cuba is more about “revenge” than anything else.  I will share more on this as time goes by. 

   Jesus spoke his truth to the powers present in his time, about justice for all, as we must do in our time. And we know from Isaiah’s words today in the first reading that what Jesus had to say would not be accepted by all—and that there were those who wished to silence him. 

    Within the time frame of a week, this triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem would end in seeming failure with his death in one of the most horrible ways that death can come to an individual.  We are told by Scripture scholar, Diane Bergant, that Paul’s beautiful hymn of praise to the Philippians seems the best way for us to understand Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection—while he does not minimize it; he also doesn’t spend undo time depicting it.  Rather, Paul really explains the suffering to us and tells us what it means—his state was divine, yet he did not cling to it, but humbled himself, becoming as all humans are.  

   Our time in Cuba called each of us to truly see life through the eyes of the Cuban people—to come to understand what their day-to-day life is because of our country’s unfair blockade of them.  Many of us have probably, in the past, heard the term, “embargo” used with regard to our policies toward Cuba, which we came to realize doesn’t adequately describe our actions toward them. 

   The word, “embargo” seems to suggest one country refusing to trade with another due to disagreement in politics, etc., but our actions toward Cuba, we learned, are better described as a total blockade of this country, because not only do we refuse to trade with them, but we are willing to punish any and all other countries who attempt to trade with Cuba by not trading then with them for six months. 

   This blockade hurts not only Cubans (the least among us) but ourselves and many, many others throughout our world. It would behoove all of us in this country to pick up a good history of Cuba if we are interested in knowing the true story, something we in this country have not been given over the years.  Such a book is one by Ada Ferrer. 

   A recent vote at the UN against the blockade of Cuba was 184-2, with only our country and Israel not in agreement to end it.  We are clearly on the wrong side of this issue. 

   Looking back then to our brother Jesus, within a week, his beloved apostles and friends would all, save a few—John, Mary of Magdala, his mother and some faithful women, leave him in fear.  Two would betray him—one would seek forgiveness, the other not, as he had missed the message that his friend, Jesus had spoken so many times before—that there is nothing we could ever do that would separate us from the love of God. 

   Scriptures tell us that our brother Jesus wept over Jerusalem for how they had so misunderstood his coming among them—they wanted a king—and he came as a servant.  They let their humanity, their lust for power and control get in the way of his message of love and care for all.  Even his closest friends—apostles who spent three years with him, hearing day after day the purpose for his coming—to basically show them, all of us, the best ways to live and to love, didn’t get it!  Jesus was always about, “leading with the heart,” not the head, and those in the society he graced with his presence who were women, the poor, the ill and downtrodden got his message—not about power over, but about humility—power with and for others.

   I reflect on Jesus’ “weeping over Jerusalem” just as several of us, in our delegation to Cuba wept over the injustices done to the Cuban people over the years, that were definitely about, “power over” rather than, “power with and for.”   

   His sadness, his sense of failure with so many whom he loved so much would engulf him for a time in his agony in the garden in the space of a week. His agony would call him to cry out to his Abba God, “Why have you forsaken me? —a prayer that comes to each of us at times, as we struggle against the powers-that-be, attempting to be our best selves. 

 But before that; he would spend his last days teaching in the temple, endeavoring to get the message across one last time that “what we do to others, we do to him.”  We can’t say that we love God and refuse to love our neighbor—he minces no words—it’s as simple as that!

    The more my friends that we can let these days come alive for us, the more his words will become real and guide our daily actions going forward.  A significant ritual for many of us Catholic-Christians over the years has been, “The Stations of the Cross,”  a reflection upon the steps of Jesus on the way to Calvary—a reverent reflection in itself, but probably since the Second Vatican Council, moving forward, many writers have put together modern day “Stations of the Cross”  being cognizant of the fact that Jesus’ suffering continues yet today in our sisters and brothers who live on the margins of our society.  There is such a service being held from 12:00-1:00 on Good Friday at Windom Park should anyone wish to attend.

   We won’t be meeting on Holy Thursday, but it would behoove us to remember the gift of love that this night depicts.  Jesus, knowing all that was before him, spent his last night before his death showing his closest friends, his mother and the other women, no doubt, even though the Scriptures don’t mention their presence, of how he wanted them to live going forward, once he was no longer physically with them.  They should serve each other, beautifully displayed in the washing of the feet. Whenever and wherever they gathered; they should know and believe that he was with them in the breaking of the bread.  And finally, his greatest prayer was that all people should be one, just as he was one with Abba God.  This is why our parish is named, All Are One—our statement to ourselves, our city and all others that everyone is welcome here, no exceptions!  Jesus’ priestly prayer was all about loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves—that’s it, that’s the message!

   We will gather here on Good Friday afternoon in a simple and holy remembrance of a day, more than any other that speaks to the steadfastness of our God’s love for us.  Jesus died a human death the way he had lived his human life—completely and wholeheartedly—always keeping in mind, especially at the end, the all-encompassing love of his Abba for him.  Being human, he doubted and cried out in the agony, in the suffering, but on some level; he knew that life would follow the death and he did it all for us so that we could be steadfast in hope of new life too!

   And then on Saturday afternoon, with the Easter Vigil; we will begin our alleluias in that hope.  Amen? Amen!

My friends, I am struck as I look over the readings for this week of how they lay out well what each of us needs to know in attempting to live as a Christian—a follower of our brother, Jesus.  Additionally, this week’s readings seem to clear up some false teachings that many of us probably grew up believing, and this is true from the Old Testament in the selection from Exodus and on through the New Testament gospel from Luke and Paul’s letter to First Corinthians.  The Psalm selection is the only exception. Let’s take a look.

   Today’s psalm, 103 lets us know that our God, “is kind and merciful.”  With that in mind, we can reflect back on God’s words to Moses from the burning bush—”I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt.”  And this God who is “kind and merciful,” calls on Moses to help and basically says, I will be with you—you won’t need to do this alone.  Moses answers in the way that is needed at this time— “Here I am.” 

   And so that Moses realizes that this is a serious, sacred request, God says, “Where you are standing is holy ground.”  Now, upon first reading these words, we think of the surface meaning—yes, God is here, thus the ground is holy. 

   But looking at this, “burning bush” moment, can’t simply be done in a surface way. Moses’ God chose to involve him in a venture that simply put, was “all about love,” because God had heard the peoples’ cries, and Moses is being asked to be God’s envoy to a stiff-necked Pharoah, holding Moses’ people, who also belonged to God, against their will. 

   Now, if Moses has truly gotten the picture, either at this point, or at some time in the future, he will realize that the “holy ground” is not only the physical ground where God seems to be but is ground upon which the Israelites in Egypt stand and the ground upon which we all stand!  Each of us is “the stuff” of heaven and of God, here, having a human experience.

   Now Moses, like most of us is concerned about the surface things—who he should tell the Pharoah it is, has sent him.  And it is almost as if God is teasing him—say, “I AM” has sent you. And to this day, exegetes still quibble over whether God meant, “I AM who I am” or “I AM who I will be.”  Now this probably made no more sense to Moses that it does to us, unless we simply conclude that God is not Some One or Some Entity that can be explained to our satisfaction, so let’s perhaps look at the “why” this encounter is taking place, rather than “who” has come to Moses in this “burning bush” moment. 

   If we recall once again the psalmist’s words, “Our God is kind and merciful,” –one who has heard the peoples’ cries; then the “why” is really more important than getting stuck on what name we should give this caring God. We see additionally that God comes to Moses as God comes to each of us—there is a need in our world and God asks, “Who can I send—who will go for us?”  Hopefully, each of us can see at times, the “holy ground” and the people standing upon it, and do our part, saying, “I will go.” 

   Paul in his letter to the Corinthians seems to struggle a bit too with describing the full picture of what is going on with the Israelites and their freeing from Egypt. He gives us an image of a somewhat “frightening God” and that we better, “watch out” lest we fall, like some of the Israelites did.  Perhaps because Paul never knew Jesus, our brother, in his earthly life, he either wasn’t aware of, or had forgotten Jesus’ teachings from the gospel selection in Luke today.

   Jesus is teaching against the notion that God causes “bad things” to happen to us because we have done “bad things.” Through the lovely story of the fig tree that bears no fruit and the owner who is willing to cut it down in punishment, we instead see the love of our God, through the vinedresser who says, “Let’s give it another chance.”  Rather than God causing a bad result, it is probably more true to say that when we make bad choices, the result is a bad outcome. 

   My friends, as the story of the fig tree seems to indicate, Jesus our brother and our God is strongly encouraging us to change our ways if our end results aren’t what we had hoped for.  Unfortunately, that old theology that wrongly taught us that the only purpose for Jesus’ coming among us was to save us from our sins, didn’t allow us to see the goodness of our God who would again and again give us chances to change and become our best selves.

   A sister of St. Joseph and a Scottish scholar, Sister Mary Beth Ingham, put it this way: “The Incarnation was not plan B (because something went wrong in the garden)—it was always plan A.”  My friends, God in Jesus became one of us out of love, to show us in no uncertain terms—how to live and how to love, and so perhaps we could say, in that case, Jesus did, “save us,” but from ourselves.

   God looks on each of us with love—we are “holy ground” as a result, and so are all others, and this same God then, asks us to love in return—first God and then, others. Meister Eckhart, a 13^th Century German theologian says it like this, “The eyes with which you will look back at God will be the same eyes with which God first looked at you.”  You might want to think about that a bit, but to me, that is why it is so important that the Eucharist that we celebrate each week here, and partake in, doesn’t stop here.  Or, as we say in faith, “This is Jesus, the Bread of Life, how blessed are we [to receive it] and become the Bread of Life for the world.” 

   My friends, my challenge to each of you and to myself is to always strive to see beyond the words on the page as we read the Scriptures—I am quite sure our God wants us to go deeper so that more “burning bush” moments happen, that is, when we can see God, “in our midst.”  When we can all work toward creating a world where all are seen for their basic goodness, instead of in racist, sexist and all other diminishing ways, we will be able to truly say that we are “standing on holy ground.” Amen? Amen!