Fr. Louis Brioni sx
Happy New Year we were wishing each other only three months ago on January 1st. Since then the whole world has become unhappy and different because of a small molecule scientists have labeled Covid-19. Nobody would expect such global impact of this virus to affect, challenge, and frustrate all humanity, no matter their nationality, race, religion, etc. Every human being has come now under the spell of this pandemic, with worry, fear, and a lot of despair. We all hear of the deaths, difficulties, loneliness of so many people. We read of the globally economic and financial chaos, together with more poverty for the poor, the strangers, and the marginalized.
In such a sorrowful context how can we Christians celebrate Palm Sunday and the whole Holy Week this year? Our Churches around the world are now mostly closed to the Paschal liturgies as people are not even allowed to leave their houses. There seems to be such an uneasy silence over the land, silence of children shouting and playing in the streets, of traffic coming to a standstill, of markets bustling no more with life. Silence even from God, who seems to be leaving us to struggle alone for survival.
Yes, in all this, where is our Jesus, who defined himself in the last Sunday Gospel as “the resurrection and the life”? Is he still sleeping on the boat during this terrible storm, as the Pope reminded all us a few day ago?
No matter what, Palm Sunday remains a memory we cannot delete from our spirit. He has come not only to Jerusalem 2000 or so years ago, but to all of us today, on the peaceful young donkey of his choice. He still wants to hear our Hosannas even if we are housebound; He wants to listen to the prayers of our hearts; he wants to ride on our clothes of life and hopes.
We need to welcome Him anew then in our homes with palm and olive branches of faithful hearts. We need to restore the full relationship with Him, no matter how far away our wrongdoings and omissions have taken us from Him. We need to become a community that vulnerably shares each other's burdens. We need to live a week that, together with Him and the whole Church, becomes our holy week for the 2020.
Reading (or listening to) the Passion of Matthew today in our homes can even bring more meaning to our personal communion with Him. He “emptied Himself” for us, Paul writes to the Philippians today. Yes, “for us”, not as members of a crowd, but in a very personal way, that is “for me”, for each one of us. Let this message, with the present abundance of time at our disposal, soak our existence and transform it into His image and likeness.
On this coming Holy Thursday the Washing of the Feet by Jesus will liturgically not take place in our parish churches. But we can do it at home, with the head of the house prayerfully washing the feet of every member of the family. What a great opportunity we have this year because of this virus! Do not be bashful; do it. You will never regret it. “If I, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.” (Jo 13:15) This is what I was always doing here in Sierra Leone in my village communities. I would wash the feet of six men and then ask each one of them to wash the feet of their wives. It was a most meaningful sermon in itself, and there was no need for further explanation!
As we contemplate the crucified Jesus, in particular this Sunday and on Good Friday, we need not tell Him all the sufferings we are going through these days because of Covid-19. He knows them all, but He most clearly tells us, each one of us, that He keeps loving us to the very end (Jo 13.1).
Reflection by Fr. Louis Brioni sx, Makeni, Sierra Leone
Happy New Year we were wishing each other only three months ago on January 1st. Since then the whole world has become unhappy and different because of a small molecule scientists have labeled Covid-19. Nobody would expect such global impact of this virus to affect, challenge, and frustrate all humanity, no matter their nationality, race, religion, etc. Every human being has come now under the spell of this pandemic, with worry, fear, and a lot of despair. We all hear of the deaths, difficulties, loneliness of so many people. We read of the globally economic and financial chaos, together with more poverty for the poor, the strangers, and the marginalized.
In such a sorrowful context how can we Christians celebrate Palm Sunday and the whole Holy Week this year? Our Churches around the world are now mostly closed to the Paschal liturgies as people are not even allowed to leave their houses. There seems to be such an uneasy silence over the land, silence of children shouting and playing in the streets, of traffic coming to a standstill, of markets bustling no more with life. Silence even from God, who seems to be leaving us to struggle alone for survival.
Yes, in all this, where is our Jesus, who defined himself in the last Sunday Gospel as “the resurrection and the life”? Is he still sleeping on the boat during this terrible storm, as the Pope reminded all us a few day ago?
No matter what, Palm Sunday remains a memory we cannot delete from our spirit. He has come not only to Jerusalem 2000 or so years ago, but to all of us today, on the peaceful young donkey of his choice. He still wants to hear our Hosannas even if we are housebound; He wants to listen to the prayers of our hearts; he wants to ride on our clothes of life and hopes.
We need to welcome Him anew then in our homes with palm and olive branches of faithful hearts. We need to restore the full relationship with Him, no matter how far away our wrongdoings and omissions have taken us from Him. We need to become a community that vulnerably shares each other's burdens. We need to live a week that, together with Him and the whole Church, becomes our holy week for the 2020.
Reading (or listening to) the Passion of Matthew today in our homes can even bring more meaning to our personal communion with Him. He “emptied Himself” for us, Paul writes to the Philippians today. Yes, “for us”, not as members of a crowd, but in a very personal way, that is “for me”, for each one of us. Let this message, with the present abundance of time at our disposal, soak our existence and transform it into His image and likeness.
On this coming Holy Thursday the Washing of the Feet by Jesus will liturgically not take place in our parish churches. But we can do it at home, with the head of the house prayerfully washing the feet of every member of the family. What a great opportunity we have this year because of this virus! Do not be bashful; do it. You will never regret it. “If I, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.” (Jo 13:15) This is what I was always doing here in Sierra Leone in my village communities. I would wash the feet of six men and then ask each one of them to wash the feet of their wives. It was a most meaningful sermon in itself, and there was no need for further explanation!
As we contemplate the crucified Jesus, in particular this Sunday and on Good Friday, we need not tell Him all the sufferings we are going through these days because of Covid-19. He knows them all, but He most clearly tells us, each one of us, that He keeps loving us to the very end (Jo 13.1).
Reflection by Fr. Louis Brioni sx, Makeni, Sierra Leone