Palm Sunday 2025
“Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
We have heard a few times now in this season of Lent of Jesus retreating to pray. Just last Sunday, John’s Gospel mentioned that Jesus was returning from the Mount of Olives before offering mercy and forgiveness to the woman caught in adultery. Today, Luke offers us a much more detailed account of Jesus’ final retreat to the Mount of Olives, this time accompanied by his disciples just after the Last Supper.
Jesus did not joyfully or peacefully approach his suffering and death. Luke tells us that “to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him,” and that Jesus “was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.” In spite of this intensity, he was able to remain resolute, turning fully to his heavenly father in prayer, and asking his friends to pray with him. He shows us that we don’t have to be happy about our suffering, but we also don’t have to let it lead us into despair. There are times that witnessing a miracle will strengthen people’s faith. There are also times when bearing the suffering of whatever our cross may be is what leads us and those who are walking with us into a deeper relationship with our Lord. He could have waved his hand, spared his own life, and saved us in the process. However, He knew it would be a much more profound act of love to offer up his suffering, to give us a model for our own times of suffering, and to show us how to trust in our heavenly father.
As a universal church, we are in the Jubilee Year of Hope. While we long for the sense of peace and gentleness we might associate with hope, it is best nurtured in times of difficulty. Each Palm Sunday at Mass during the reading of the Passion, when we have to hear and say those words, “Crucify him,” it feels so painful. We may feel guilt for our own sins or anger at those who would do such a thing to Jesus. In hindsight, of course, we have the blessing of knowing the truth about the depth of Jesus’ love for us. This Jubilee Year of Hope helps us to remember that the story didn’t end there.
In this long, dark narrative of his Passion and death, Jesus shares perhaps the most beautiful words of his entire ministry, the words we all long to hear, and he shares them with the criminal hanging on a cross next to him: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” The people watching this terrible scene play out could not have imagined what exactly he meant, but what hope it offers to us who await Paradise!
Lord Jesus, help us to joyfully await the blessed hope.
