<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palm Sunday of\nthe Lord\u2019s Passion<\/p>\n\n\n\n
April 14, 201<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luke\n19:28-40\/Luke 23:1-49<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBlessed is the\nking who comes in the name of the Lord (Luk 19:38).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the\ngreatest gifts to humanity is the gift of memory. It gives us a sense of identity.\nBiology teaches us that almost all our bodily parts are being replaced through\nthe years. One-year-old Stephen is biologically different from thirty-year-old\nStephen. All bodily cells, with the sole exception of his eyes\u2019 lens, are\nchanged. What unites thirty-year-old Stephen with his younger self as well as\nhis future self is his memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only does\nmemory enable us to connect to ourselves, but it also relates us with other\npeople. We are able to recognize our parents, siblings, and friends because we\nremember all the good thing, we have received from them. Our memories shape who\nwe are. Thus, the illness that ruins our memories like Alzheimer, is one of the\nmost heinous. Persons with Alzheimer gradually can no longer remember persons\nwho love them; they even cannot recall doing their basic functions like eating\nand going to restroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the\nuniqueness of human beings is that we do not have only individual memory, but\nwe have communal memory. These common memories are passed through generations,\nand these form the identity of a group. We are Indonesians, Filipinos, Indians,\nAmericans, or other nations because we have common memories that unites us as a\nnation. When a nation is inflicted by a kind \u201calzhaimer\u201d that destroys its\ncommon memory, it begins to lose its identity as a nation. Cardinal Robert\nSarah from Guinea reminds that the Europe is in crisis and in danger of\ndissolution. He argues that the reason is that the European people began to\nforget their historical and cultural roots, their common memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We Christian\nshare the core and fundamental memory. Palm Sunday or Jesus\u2019 entrance to\nJerusalem marks the beginning of the most important drama of the Gospel, the\ndrama of the Holy Week. The memory was so significant to the early Christians\nthat the episode was recorded in all four Gospels with great details (Mat\n21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, and John 12:12-19), though with some different emphases.\nWe may even say that the Holy Week especially the Last Supper, the Passion and\nResurrection are the core and foundational memory of every true Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This explains\nwhy the Church celebrates Holy Week every year, not because she simply wants to\nhave big events, but because this celebration reconnects us with the core\nmemories that make us as Christians. Yet, we do not only remember the events of\nthe past; we are not just spectators. Through the power of the liturgy, we\nrelive the fundamental stories of Jesus Christ. Together with Christ, we enter\nJerusalem. Together with Him, we celebrate the Passover. Together with Him, we\nare persecuted, crucified and we die. Together with Him, we are buried in the\ndark tomb. But together with Him, we are raised from the dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, it is\nour choice whether to follow Him or go against Him: to become people who shout\n\u201cHosanna\u201d or people who cry \u201cCrucify Him\u201d; to become a disciple who walks the\nway of the cross or disciples who run away from Him; to be crucified with Jesus\nor to crucify Jesus. But it is only the true followers of Jesus who can\ntogether with Him be raised from the dead. Holy Week is our time to make that\nchoice : to follow Jesus or to go against Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deacon\nValentinus Bayuhadi Rusneo, OP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Palm Sunday of the Lord\u2019s Passion April 14, 201 Luke 19:28-40\/Luke 23:1-49 \u201cBlessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord (Luk 19:38).\u201d One of the greatest gifts to humanity is the gift of memory. It gives us a sense of identity. Biology teaches us that almost all our bodily parts are being replaced through the years. One-year-old Stephen is biologically different from thirty-year-old Stephen. All bodily cells, with the sole exception of his eyes\u2019 lens, are…<\/p>\n