Behold the Cross

Palm/Passion Sunday (A)

We have just had St Matthew’s account of the Passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ read to us.

There has been a sober quietness in our souls as we have pondered what Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God and Son of Man, has had to endure. We wince at the degree of physical suffering.

We are pained at the extent of the bitterness and hatred of his accusers. We sense his experience of abandonment by his own people, even his disciples.

All of this expressed in his pained words, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

For hours he hung upon the cross. In our minds we can gaze upon him, suffering, dying.

What do we see? Yes, an innocent man undergoing an agonising death. Is that all we see?

Do we not also see love personified? – as Jesus himself said, “a man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

Do we not see the sacrifice of his life being offered for our sake? –  in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Is 53:7).

Do we not see the merciful heart of God for sinful, suffering humanity? – Jesus describes himself when he says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28).

My brothers and sisters, we now enter Holy Week. Let us accompany our Lord in his final days.

In particular, let us make Good Friday a day of retreat, of quiet, of prayer. Let us ponder the wonderous mystery of the cross with humble and grateful hearts.

Archbishop Julian Porteous

Sunday, 2 April 2023