I love Holy week and all of the masses leading up to Easter. Unfortunately, Spring Break sometimes falls over this time, and our family has to endeavor to find a new Church home.
One Palm Sunday, when our four children were very young, we found ourselves at mass in a Florida strip mall. The church area tiny, so we were forced to sit out in the hall on folding chairs, facing a blank wall.
The Palm Sunday gospel is an extended reading that shares the passion and death of Jesus, and is rich in showing His sacrificial love – that is unless you’re wrestling four squirmy little ones. I hate to admit it, but I kept thinking, “Oh please, Father, make it a short homily.”
As the reading concluded, and we sat down on our slippery shiny seats, the priest said, I am going to give the world’s shortest homily. Prayers answered! He said my homily is all of three words, and comes from the 1st letter of Saint john.
God is love.
Here amid the 800,000 words of the bible were three that distilled who God is to His very essence. Love. Not the fuzzy feeling of attraction, but the willingness to give of yourself for another.
Dwell in that today – God, is love.
Let’s Pray - Father of Grace and Mercy – as we reflect on your passion and death the Palm Sunday and Holy week, help us to see that you are love itself, and that love in it’s very essence is sacrificial. Amen.