Gospel during Procession: Luke 19:28-40

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7

Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11

Gospel: Luke:22:14-23:56

Do you remember your high school or college homecoming? Remember the parade through campus with the homecoming king and queen wearing sashes and riding on the back of a convertible while people are cheering for them? When I listen to the Procession Gospel on Palm Sunday, this image is what comes to mind when I think of Jesus riding on the back of the donkey as he is arriving into Jerusalem. I envision this arrival as more than people laying cloaks down and exclaiming “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” It is a parade of fanfare people acknowledging Jesus as king. But there is a difference between these two celebrations. The homecoming king and queen are elected then appointed to represent the homecoming court, while Jesus’ parade occurs before his passion and resurrection. There is also another major significant difference; when homecoming weekend concludes, the man and woman no longer hold the titles of king and queen, YET Jesus’ kingship lives on forever after his death on the cross.

This theme of kingship after the passion and resurrection carries through into the other readings for today. In the Letter to the Philippians, Paul shares that because Jesus was obedient to the point of death by the cross, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In the Gospel after the Second Reading, we read that during Jesus’ passion, the scribes and Pharisees take Jesus before Pilate to be condemned, and the reason was because of the issue regarding whether Jesus was the King of the Jews. Pilate even questions Jesus about this: then we later read that Jesus was mocked by having a crown of thorns placed on his head, and the inscription on the cross stated, “Jesus, King of the Jews.” So in one regard, he was acknowledged as king and praised by the people, yet in another regard condemned to death over the issue by others who felt threatened by him. But we know the victory of eternal kingship is his because of his resurrection.

What does this mean for us today at this current time 2000 years later? Just as Paul stated, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” it is important to spread that message to others in our daily lives and the various ministries in which we participate. During Jesus’ passion, Judas betrays him and Peter denies knowing him three times, so the thought for us to examine is whether we are really going to spread the Gospel and tell the world that Jesus is king, or whether we will betray or deny knowing Jesus through our negative actions. What are you going to do???

“Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan

and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days…”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus has just been baptized in the Jordan River by John. Next, he goes into the desert to fast and pray. These are two very visible actions, which all can see. They are meant for public observation. They are symbols of piety and faith.

But then, Jesus goes alone into the desert.

How then do we reconcile the first reading, bringing the first fruits and presenting them publicly in the Temple, with our Lord’s teaching:

“Whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting.” (Mt. 6:16)

And:

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

And:

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

There is a time for everything under the heaven, we are told, but the time that we spend in Lent should be between us and our Lord. And the prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that we are taught to perform are to help us to learn to speak more directly, more honestly with God. It is not just a period of giving something up or performing certain acts, but a time when we can learn to hear the word of God.

And as the Quakers say, the word of God is a still, small voice within…and sometimes we are being spoken to but cannot hear because of the intrusions of the world.

In the second reading, Paul tells us that “the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” Again, a solitary state of being…us and God. And what do we have to do to be saved and justified? Confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts. Alone, meaning with no one around; and alone, meaning that’s all that’s necessary.

During this Lenten season we can take up the time-honored practices and abstain, give, and pray. These are disciplines that are done in preparation. Practices that resemble an athlete’s muscle-memory exercises to train the body to strive more completely.

But we can also stop, concentrate, focus, and search for that still, small voice within that is the voice of God.

For that is what Lent is about in one sense: teaching us how to be athletes of our Lord, able to bear hardships, pain, trials and tribulations so that we can win the laurel wreath of peace and salvation. For hardships do and will come and our time in the desert of these 40 days will train our souls, our bodies, our minds to persevere even unto death as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today Lord, help us to train ourselves for your resurrection, that we can experience it with all the joy that your followers knew when they saw the fulfillment of your promise on the Sunday of Easter. Amen.

Reading 1: Joel 2:12-18

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.  For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.  Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!  proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them!  Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.

Reading 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2

Brothers and sisters:  We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.  We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.  Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says:
In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:  “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting.  Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

I recently went to a funeral for the father of a family friend out of respect for our friend, even though I never met the gentleman. He was cremated, and as I am sitting in the pew looking at the urn, I am trying to picture the man through the few stories I heard about him during the eulogy and pastor’s sermon, yet I was also thinking about that there were just ashes in that beautiful wood box, while the memories in those stories lived on. The body became ashes… a box full of charred particles in a form of dust after the gentleman passed away. Thinking about the ashes did not mean I was not listening to the stories about the man. Everything that was shared by the family and pastor spoke to how the gentleman exemplified the word and action of love. He was always helping those in need, even up to the day that his health no longer permitted him to be active. People around him saw that he was loving and helping not because he expected anything in return or wanted to be noticed, but rather merely doing it because it was the right thing to do. This is what the Gospel for today is all about. Jesus instructs his disciples to live and carry out their faith without having to boast about what they are doing, because God already sees the actions. Going to the funeral helped me understand Ash Wednesday a little differently, as it was roughly two weeks away.

When ashes are placed on our forehead by the priest or deacon, the words that are usually said are “Remember that dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Coming from Genesis 3:19) Humanity was created out of dust, and just like the father of our family friend, we will become dust regardless of being buried or cremated. Sure, placing ashes in the shape of a cross on our forehead is an outward sign showing others we profess our faith. That might seem in contradiction with what we are instructed by Jesus, but it really is not! That cross is also a reminder for our selves. Certain aspects of our self must die in order to truly follow Jesus. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent; a season of preparation and conversion, and a time when those ashes cause us to think about becoming a better person. Hopefully at the end of those forty days of Lent, it has not been about giving up candy or just praying more because it is Lent, but hopefully become a better person forever.

I recognize areas in which I need to change and grow, and I can only hopefully become more like the father of our family friend through this growth process. When receiving ashes on my forehead, I am going to think about that gentleman who was all about love, instead of it just being a cross on my forehead for others to see that I am beginning my Lenten journey. When you receive those ashes, what will it be about for you? Will it be an outward sign, or a reminder that some aspects of us must die in order to more closely follow Jesus?

“So let us pray… Father, as we embark on our Lenten journey, help us wear our ashes as symbols of desiring to more closely follow your Son.  Through that same Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever;  Amen.”

“Have you been saved?”  “Are you born again?”  “Have you found Jesus?”  “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?”    I think we all have been addressed by such “evangelistic” greetings while we were at work or shopping or even at social gatherings.  I may be alone in this, but I find these phrases to be cliché, disingenuous, annoying and counterproductive.  It is not that I am embarrassed to be a follower of Christ, or to proclaim His Gospel out in the world (after all I do wear a habit as a sign of my faith and God has all but given me a tonsure), it is more that such phrases imply that you do not know Jesus or the good news.  To my ears they are saying “I know Jesus better than you do, let me save you or you will go to hell”.  Now, I know this is a bit crass, but conversations that begin with “Have you…” always seem to progress to stories of how great their church is, how Paul said this or that, how they are helping the lost sinners like homosexuals or how they helped bring some poor family over from a developing nation and let them cut their lawn or work on the church.  And during these “conversations” I often wonder, “where is the good news?  Where is the Gospel of God’s love for everyone, and our call to love each other?”

Jesus asked us to go out to the entire world and spread the good news, teach the Gospel to all people; this is the call to evangelize.  But asking someone if they are “saved”, or “found Jesus”, this seems to miss the point.  The Gospels tell us that God so loved us His children He sent the Son of Man to fulfill the old law, establish a new covenant based on altruism and forgiveness, to preach the truth and then to be sacrificed so that All HUMANITY should be saved.  If the Gospels were a Hallmark card they would read “I love you, I forgive you, all I ask is you do the same to each other as a sign that you love Me too.  Love, your Creator”.

There are many places throughout the Word of God where the faithful to whom the light of the word is given and are blind to it, while those “not chosen” see it as bright as day.   This season of Epiphany exemplifies such realization of the Messiah to the “gentiles” amidst the ignorance of the chosen people.  John so poetically tells us:

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:10-14)  What a glorious message, the Son came not for those chosen by race, or by declaration of man nor even lineage (for we are all God’s children), but for all those who open their hearts to the truth and live the Word.  In another example, Luke tells us that Jesus read from Isaiah in His home town synagogue:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”  And said to those present: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4: 18-19, 21)  Again what great news Jesus shared to those who proclaim to believe in the word, and how said such news fell on deaf ears and whose eyes had been blind to his light.

A few days ago, while shopping at the local big box grocery, a lady came up and inquired about my habit.  She said “I know you are a man of God, please tell me what this means and about your church”.  And so I shared about being a Dominican, about being an Old Catholic, about our church’s foundation being the Gospels, about how we strive to accept everyone and anyone just as Jesus did.  She then asked “what about homosexuals?”  I replied “We are all children of God, EVERYONE is accepted, especially those marginalized by the mainstream.  We do not judge others as that is NOT our job, only God knows what is in a person’s heart and we trust that God will take care of His own.”  She then asked “Do you believe that people who commit suicide go to hell?”  I said “I believe in God’s grace and mercy, He knows what is in the heart of those suffering, those with mental illness, those in the dark depths of depression and pain, He would not forsake one of His own”.  She finally smiled and told me her husband took his own life, she and her son were the ones who found him.  She struggles with a rare neurological condition, she has tried to end it many times, her children are struggling with it all and she feels now that God is calling her to share her trials, her message to help others.  I agreed and encouraged her to find a place, any place and to share her journey and her discoveries not only to help her heal, but to help others find a path to healing and that this is what God wants and this is why she is still here.

A moment of my time to listen, a few words exclaiming the good news to one who really needed it, an acknowledgement of her pain, suffering and stumbles in life with a reassuring it’s ok, that’s a lot for anyone to deal with, followed by the guarantee of God’s grace, forgiveness and love, and rounding it up with a firm “you matter, you have a gift and calling from God and you will make a difference in someone else’s life”.  For me, this is evangelism as Jesus would have it done: to live s Paul says, we are all of one body, no single part is the body, but the body is made of all the parts, and if one part is sick, the body is sick; to heal the part is to heal the whole body.  No body can be complete without all its parts and, therefore, no part is any greater or lesser than the other.  Hence, evangelization is not saying “I am already part of a magnificent body, don’t you think you should join me and be great too”, but, instead the message is “Truly you are valued part of a magnificent and great body, we are blessed by you and hope that you too are blessed by us.  Come; let us rejoice with all other parts so that none may ever be forgotten.”

Reading 1: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

Thus says the LORD:  Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street.  a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

1. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
   Give to the LORD, you sons of God, give to the LORD glory and praise, Give to the LORD the glory due his name; adore the LORD in holy attire.
   R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
   The voice of the LORD is over the waters, the LORD, over vast waters. The voice of the LORD is mighty; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
   R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
   The God of glory thunders, and in his temple all say, “Glory!”  The LORD is enthroned above the flood; the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
   R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Reading 2: Acts 10:34-38

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius, saying:   “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.  Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.  You know the word that he sent to the Israelites  as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,  what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached,  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power.  He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.  John answered them all, saying,  “I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.  I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized  and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,  heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,  “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

It seems so strange to have celebrated Epiphany last Sunday; a part of the story of Jesus as an infant, and now here we are celebrating the Baptism of the Lord when Jesus was an adult.  We do have the story of Jesus as a boy sitting in the Temple, which we cannot discount as important in the life of Christ, but this fast forward to his baptism as an adult is very significant because it is the event which transpires at the very beginning of Jesus’ active ministry.  It was not THE BEGINNING of the Christ-story, but a beginning of its own sort.

Most Catholics do not remember their baptism because it happened shortly after birth, yet some of us do remember our baptism if baptized later in life.  Baptism is a Sacrament which connects us to God, yet many of our Protestant Brothers and Sisters associate baptism as washing away sins, wiping the slate clean and righting our relationship with God.  Baptism is definitely part of salvation, and a turning point in which we say yes to following God by living a new life; something which some Christians refer to as being “born again” which I think has something to teach us.  As I stated earlier, baptism is a Sacrament and sometimes just seen as part of the initiation into Catholicism, but baptism is SO MUCH MORE, and I think that is why our Protestant Brothers and Sisters got it right.  It is not just a Sacrament of Initiation… It is a “born again” experience, a beginning to follow Jesus.  Our baptism is just like Jesus’ in the sense that our birth is the beginning of our life, yet our baptism is our first call to follow the Lord; the beginning of our active ministry whether we want to acknowledge it or not.

In most cases, the Prophetic Books speak about what is to come; what the Lord has planned for humanity, essentially pointing to the coming of Jesus.  Yet in the Reading from Isaiah for today, we see more than just a prophecy.  We see that the Lord tells the people that they are chosen as servants, called to do good works and bring people out of darkness.  They are to be of ministry to others.  By our baptism we are called just as the Israelites in the time of Isaiah were called; our calling is to help our neighbor, show the love of God through our thoughts and actions.  Our baptism is not just part of some checklist to become fully initiated as Catholics.  Thinking in such a way is not living as God intends.  We read in the Gospel that when Jesus was baptized, God was pleased by what took place; and from that moment, the ministry of Jesus started.  Jesus did not get baptized, and then nothing else happened.  So, how should we think about our baptism?  If we think of it as part of a checklist, might we change what we think by actually believing it is our “born again” experience that is the start of our ministry?  Just as God was pleased with Jesus, should we want God to be pleased in the fact we are baptized, and choosing to do minister to our neighbor?

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made know the message that they had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and see, just as it had been told to them.

In the Gospel reading today we read that the shepherds came to pay homage to the Child Jesus and they told Mary and Joseph of the message the angels told them, after paying homage they returned glorifying and praising God.

What can we give to the Child Jesus in our personal homage, a homage that we can give him every day?

We can be angels spreading the message of Christ to those who want to listen to us.

We are also shepherds who give Jesus our homage. We can give Jesus homage in many different ways, by our example, by our way of live and the way we talk and by being true followers of Christ and let Christ take control of our lives, because that is the best homage we can give, our whole self’s.

When Jesus takes control of our lives we can do anything even those things we think is impossible to do.

In the second reading, we read at God sent His son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to ransom those under the law.

Sometimes we are blinded by manmade rules and we forget the laws of Christ, and we are so busy following manmade laws and the law of the Church that we forget to live for God, and worship him with all our hearts.

Churches have so much gold and magnificent statues and pictures and other things, and I keep saying too many churches, that in the simplicity of things God is also glorified.

Some church families are so wrapped up with rules that they do not worship God with their whole being.

As a religious order we have to follow he rule of Holy Father Dominic, but this rule is a simple rule and it can help us to be true followers of Christ.

I would like to finish this sermons with the words of the first reading.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace. Amen.