Lent 6C Palm

Today we begin Holy Week. Today we read the Passion of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived 33 years. His most intense period were His last 3 years. His most intense week was Holy Week. His Body, the Church, has been going through the life of the Body of Christ, with Jesus as the invisible head, in the last 2000 years. Christ’s Body is about to enter into its Holy Week! Most of us have a roof over our head and enough to eat right now… And so right now with our bellies full, we are ready to spout off like Peter: “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death” (Lk 22:33)! But when we enter into the great trial, WE WILL DO EXACTLY AS PETER DID: IF WE DO NOT PRAY EVERYDAY, with our whole heart the Rosary as a family if possible, if we do not go to the Holy Mass at least each Sunday, if we do not confess our sins regularly (once a month), if we do not seek to live our faith, we will not be ready “when the wood is dry” (Lk 23:31), that is, the holy week and Good Friday of the Body of Christ, the Church!

Jesus said: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren" (Lk 22:31-32). Then afterwards Jesus said: “PRAY THAT YOU MAY NOT ENTER INTO TEMPTATION” (Lk 22:40). “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Lk 22:46). Peter slept and thus Peter denied Jesus three times (Lk 22:54-62); the other disciples forsook Jesus and fled (Mt 26:56). Peter and the other disciples did not prepare for their holy week, their Good Friday. But at least Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Lk 22:62). Several saints have indicated that Peter went to the Mother of Jesus in order to obtained the grace of repentance as we saw in the film “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson. Will we have the grace to weep as Peter did during our holy week, at the moment of our Good Friday? GOD OFFERS US NOW so many possibilities and graces in order to repent and obtain the precious mercy of God. AFTERWARDS, IT WILL BE TOO LATE! We will not be offered later the grace to “weep bitterly” and repent as Peter did. SEE THE APPENDIX BELOW.

In the liturgy, we read the Passion of Jesus Christ only two times each year: today and Good Friday, even though the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus is central in our faith and central in the Gospels. DURING THE YEAR, HOW MANY TIMES DID WE ENTER THE CHURCH by ourselves or together as a family or as a group TO PRAY THE WAY OF THE CROSS? Are the images of the Way of the Cross in our churches only for decoration?

If a wife is suffering tremendously and her husband does not care at all (or vise versa), it is an ugly situation. But this pain is a small drop compared to that which Jesus suffered. Jesus, who gave us all that we have, who died IN A HORRIBLE WAY for each one of us personally and individually, DO WE CARE?!? If I were the only person on the face of the earth, my sins are so terrible that Jesus would have come to the earth in order to suffer His whole dreadful passion and death just for me alone! We are so immersed in the “tyranny of relativism”, without realizing it, that we see this reality of the passion and death of Jesus from our criteria and point of view without seeking to discover and to understand this cosmic event from the criteria and point of view of Jesus.

God loves each of us immensely if we like it or not. God did not ask us if we wanted to be created, but God asks each of us if we want to be redeemed! So many children who are so much loved by their parents rebel against this love because THEY DO NOT WANT TO RESPOND TO THIS LOVE and they do not feel comfortable at all in this situation. But often we too think that our sins are not so bad, and after all, Jesus is happy and comfortable in heaven. And so we say: “Enough, let’s not talk about it anymore!”

We forget that THE GREATER THE LOVE IS, THE GREATER IS THE PAIN due to insensitivity and indifference. God who loves each one of us immensely suffers more than we can imagine due to our indifference. One might say how can this be if Jesus already died 2000 years ago? We must remember that for God there is no past or future but only THE ETERNAL PRESENT. Jesus suffered (“suffers”) not only for the sins of those who lived before and during his crucifixion, but also for all of the sins after his crucifixion. We slough off so easily this fundamental indifference of not responding to love. We think that the delinquents who we read about in the newspapers are the bad ones but we are the good ones!!! But we are in the same house with the Lord and thus our indifference causes Jesus to suffer much more than the assassins and the prostitutes! God is love; He created us freely out of love and then suffers and dies on the cross in the eternal present for our not responding to this immense and personal love for each one of us.

Very often children do not think about how much their parents have worked and suffered for them; we are truly blind in our egoism. LOVE ACCORDING TO THE WORLD EXPECTS A RETURN, at least in a hidden way. While parents and other persons are useful to us, we put up with them! At a funeral, one feels sorrow for the person in the casket, but for Jesus crucified!?! And then we do not understand why one spends so many years in purgatory, or worse! Sister Mary Gabriel in purgatory told Sister Mary of the Cross: “Each day thousands of souls come to Purgatory and most of them remain thirty to forty years, some for longer periods, others for shorter. I tell you this in terms of earthly calculations because here it is quite different” (http://purgatory-manu.blogspot.com/).

An entire life is not enough to penetrate and understand the love of Jesus for each one of us in His Passion. OH HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO MEDITATE EVERYDAY ON THE PASSION OF JESUS. Slowly our hearts become more soft and receptive, and we begin to see the passion of Christ from the point of view of Christ instead of from our point of view closed in our presumption and egoism, like ungrateful children. The saints meditated everyday on the passion of Christ. When the people offered to construct the Way of the Cross at San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio responded that this was the most beautiful thing they every did. Let us read the passion in the Gospels; let us meditate the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary often.

It is not simply a question of mathematical knowledge and then we know it all. It is a question of the heart and thus IT IS A WALK OF LOVE IN THE SEARCH OF THE TRUTH of how much Jesus loves each of us and how much we are blind and indifferent in our egoism. Meditating on the passion of Jesus we discover the great price that Jesus paid for our salvation due to our sins. Our dignity is so great, created in the image of God Himself, that there was needed such great suffering by the Son of God Himself. Not responding to Love due to our horrible indifference, is a sin beyond our imagination! Meditating on the passion helps us TO UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF SIN and its consequences; otherwise we remain in our indifference, cold and heartless as the beasts! The Popes Pius XII and John Paul II said that the gravest sin today is to believe that there is no sin! But above all, let us meditate often on the passion of Jesus IN ORDER TO OFFER TO JESUS CONSOLATION and company in His great agony!

A great number of people will say to Jesus at judgment: “I did not know how much you loved me!” They had willfully decided to not seek or want to discover the truth. So many think and say: “Ignorance is bliss!” But it is rather: “DESIRED AND CHOSEN IGNORANCE IS CONDEMNATION!” “The Truth Shall Set You Free” (Jn 8:32)!

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APPENDIX:

We read in Revelation 15:8: “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and NO ONE COULD ENTER THE TEMPLE until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.” This seems to indicate that the Temple area is sealed to angels and men during the final forty-two months of the Tribulation hour. God’s throne, which symbolizes MERCY AND LOVE, IS CLOSED AT THIS TIME. This is also indicated in Second Thessalonians (2:11-12). "God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Jesus told St. Faustina regarding the LUKEWARM AND INDIFFERENT SOULS: "These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy" (diary 1228).

Regarding this closure of divine mercy, we find in the DIARY OF ST. FAUSTINA: “Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. IT IS A SIGN FOR THE END TIMES; AFTER IT WILL COME THE DAY OF JUSTICE. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them” (848). “Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, BECAUSE THE AWFUL DAY, THE DAY OF MY JUSTICE, IS NEAR” (965). “These words are for you. Do all you possibly can for this work of My mercy. I desire that My mercy be worshiped, and I AM GIVING MANKIND THE LAST HOPE OF SALVATION; that is, recourse to My mercy. My heart rejoices in this feast” (998). “Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: BEFORE I COME AS JUST JUDGE, I FIRST OPEN WIDE THE DOOR OF MY MERCY. HE WHO REFUSES TO PASS THROUGH THE DOOR OF MY MERCY MUST PASS THROUGH THE DOOR OF MY JUSTICE…” (1146). “Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but IT WILL BE TOO LATE” (1448). “In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to My people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My merciful heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. BEFORE THE DAY OF JUSTICE I AM SENDING THE DAY OF MERCY” (1588).

Sister Lucia of Fatima said to Father Agostino Fuentes (1957): “Our Lady said that if we do not listen and if we still offend we will not be pardoned. Father, it is urgent that we realize this terrible reality. We do not want to fill the souls with fear, but only it is urgent a recall to reality. From when the Holy Virgin gave such a great efficaciousness to the Rosary, there does not exist any material, spiritual, national or international problem that cannot be resolved with THE HOLY ROSARY AND WITH OUR SACRIFICES. To recite it with devotion will be to consol Mary and to wipe away so many tears from her Immaculate Heart.”

In the final message of the Blessed Virgin on October 13, 1973, at AKITA, JAPAN, on the anniversary of the miracle of the Sun at Fatima, she said to Sister Agnes Sasagawa: "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be A PUNISHMENT GREATER THAN THE DELUGE, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The SURVIVORS will find themselves so desolate that they WILL ENVY THE DEAD. The only arms that will remain for you will be the Rosary and Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the pope, the bishops, and the priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their conferees…churches and altars sacked, the Church will be full of those who accept compromise and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of My sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them." (http://www.miraclerosarymission.org/akita.htm).