Palm Sunday Homily
                                                    March 27-28, 2010
                                                 Deacon John Ashmore

It hardly seems possible. It’s already been six weeks since we buried the Alleluia and began our Lenten journey. And now Holy Week is about to begin. We’ve sat in darkness and quiet at the beginning of our Sunday Liturgies, reflecting on some aspect of our parish mission statement:  To hear the Gospel, and Make a difference. We’ve thought about various questions: Does the Gospel get misheard? Does hearing the Gospel Transfigure Us? Does Hearing the Gospel make us open to others? And now we come to that moment of reflection again. What has our Lenten journey meant to us?  Have we taken the time to hear the Gospel, and Make a difference?
          I don’t know about the rest of you, but the problem I have with Liturgical Seasons is that by the time I get to the end of the season, I have a hard time remembering what came at the beginning. I think this comes with gray hair. But as I looked back on the Gospels of the Lenten season, I see a common thread that runs through all of them. That thread is the need for faith in our lives. It was his faith in the Father that took Jesus into the desert to pray. And there he was tempted by the devil. So, faith doesn’t mean we won’t be tempted; faith means that we need to look to God for our answers rather than to the things the world has to offer. Jesus is also showing us that faith requires a commitment. We don’t need to commit to spending 40 days in the desert. Maybe just committing to six minutes a day with our Black Books is a good start.
          It was faith in the Father that took Jesus up the mountain to his Transfiguration. I think that event also crystallized the faith of Peter, James and John. It’s easy to focus on Jesus changed appearance and his conversing with Moses and Elijah, but I think more of how that sight must have affected these apostles. If they had any doubts before this, they would have been eliminated after seeing this event, and hearing God the Father speaking from the heavens. In a sense, their faith was also transfigured. Have we sought to embrace the faith of the apostles this Lenten Season? Have we embraced our share of their Transfiguration?
          On the third Sunday of Lent, we heard the gospel of the woman at the well. In his homily, Father Declan reminded us of how important this woman was. In spite of the “taboos” and prejudices that characterized Jewish-Samaritan relations, Jesus revealed his true identity to her. And she became an “Apostle” to the Samaritans. Her faith became their faith. She was the outsider, who was embraced by Jesus. Perhaps this is a reminder of how we are to live our lives. The Winter Nights program, in which we sheltered homeless people here on our grounds was a good start. In addition to that, how well have we lived our faith by embracing the outsiders and the outcasts during this Lenten season?
          The Gospel of the man born blind is another story of faith. The people ask Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?" I love Jesus’ answer: "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” What a wonderful paradox: the blind man will make God visible! And when Jesus revealed himself as the “Son of Man”, the blind man said “I do believe Lord” and he worshiped him. Whether he was a man of faith before he gained his sight can’t be known, but he certainly was a believer after. Perhaps we should reflect on whether our blindness has kept us from being people of faith during our Lenten journey.
          In last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. Before he did this he said to Martha "I am the resurrection and the life; … and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" This seems an awkward time to ask this question, with Lazarus in the tomb, but Martha replied, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah.” Martha makes her statement of faith in spite of her grief over the death of her brother. And then Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Whether Martha’s faith prompted Jesus to perform this miracle is speculative at best. However, her faith in spite of her personal loss is something to emulate.
          And what act of faith is shown to us in today’s Gospel. Well, let’s change this into a more modern context. If anyone, even a great teacher, even Father Brian Joyce,  told me to go to the Safeway on Contra Costa Boulevard, and take a car that was parked there for the teacher’s use, I don’t think I’d oblige. While most of us would likely say, “Oh no, I’m not going to jail for grand theft auto”, the disciples stepped out in faith and did what Jesus told them to do, and there was no problem. That’s one of the scary parts of faith. It is often a matter of obedience, even if we can’t figure out the reason.
          So as we reflect on this Palm Sunday about our Lenten journey, what should we be thinking about beyond the need for faith in our lives? Perhaps we need to embrace the paradox of today’s gospel: Jesus Christ, the Word incarnate, riding into Jerusalem on a farm animal. The one who holds all power comes to us humbly. He doesn’t put on airs. He isn’t protected by an army. He comes to us and says have faith, be obedient, and I’ll be with you, come what may. I am the way. Faith isn’t a matter of logic. Faith is a matter of trust.  And if we trust in God and act accordingly, He will give us exactly what we need. Sometimes, what we need will be hidden in some very painful packages, but God has reasons for everything that happens in our lives.
          So as we move from today into Holy Week, let us pray together that our Lenten time of reflection and penance will lead us into lives of greater faith.  Let us not look at Lent as something that is over, but rather let us see it as the beginning, or the point of renewal of our life of faith and communion with God.