Palm Sunday—Fr. Leo Schneider

The Passion of Christ is always painful to hear.  Christ who was God, is killed by those who assumed they have more knowledge and power than him.  The betrayal and injustice stabs at our hearts. The one who loved us and came to make us sons and daughters of God is unjustly hung on a cross to die.

Through this horrible story there emerges the presence of God.  Jesus forgives those who do not know what they do, and forgives the condemned man next to him who asked to be with him. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

We have a choice, we can be on the other side of Jesus decrying him, or we can be like the repentant thief who recognized his need for mercy and the innocents of the one next to him.  Because he asked, Jesus happily brought him to eternal salvation that day.

As we come up to receive the Lord in the Eucharist today, let us count on his mercy and ask him to bring us into the fullness of his Kingdom now and forever.  Amen!