On the Road to Calvary

Pastor’s Column

Palm Sunday 2024

Jesus meets every sort of reaction as he carries his cross: jubilation, faith, hatred, concern, grief, fear, hostility, cruelty, and, worst of all, indifference. There is a response for everyone here. In a very real way, Jesus is still walking on the road to Calvary today, on the way to his death and resurrection. In every generation, all who encounter Jesus will take a role as he carries his cross. Which role is yours?  

          Simon of Cyrene.  Perhaps you are called to be like Simon of Cyrene. He was unexpectedly called upon to carry Christ’s cross for him. Like Simon, you may have been given a cross to carry that is against your will, or one that you have resisted, or one you were not expecting. Yet Christ is at your side, and as his friend, you are called to bear this cross with dignity, striving not to complain, remaining by his side. 

          The Women who wept as Jesus passed by.  Or you may be one those who wept as Christ passed by. They shared his grief. Perhaps you too are sharing in the grief of someone near to you. You cannot take their pain away, and yet you are called to share some of it with them. Maybe you grieve over those who are on the wrong path within our society, within our families, within our nation. Your grief is a prayer for their conversion.

          The indifferent.  Sometimes we find ourselves indifferent to Christ. As Jesus struggled with his cross down the narrow streets of Jerusalem, many looked the other way. Others could not have cared less. Have I been indifferent to the suffering of others, the poverty of those in my life, the pain they feel? Have I taken time to tell the Lord how much I appreciate his sacrifice for me, or am I one of those who are indifferent? Many don’t care about Christ at all today; he has so few true friends.

          Those who mocked and condemned him. Have I ever blamed God for something that he was not responsible for? Do I have unrepentant sin? Sometimes we may find ourselves with those who hated Jesus without cause; yet at those times, Jesus prays for us: Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.

          Those who stayed faithfully by the cross. Jesus’ mother, a few friends, and one disciple were all that Jesus had in the world. When I remain faithful to Jesus, despite everything, I am one of those who stayed by the cross until the end.

          The good thief.  The two thieves crucified with Jesus represent all of us, and the choices we must make. Will I choose to trust Jesus to forgive me, and thus be saved?  Every time I have experienced the mercy of God, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation, I have the role of the good thief who was assured a place in paradise.

Father Gary ~