Homily for Palm Sun, Year C Abuse Crisis April 13, 2019
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
It’s horrendous. The evil we inflict on each other; even upon God himself. Just 30 minutes after welcoming God with palms and singing, we shout for his crucifixion. This singular moment of history – when God let himself be killed by mankind – both hides and reveals the most difficult questions of the human condition. Why so much evil? What can we do about it?
God’s answer is not to ignore reality, to disregard consequences, to snap his fingers and undo it all. He comes down and shares in it, He suffers with us. Even more amazingly, while in the very midst of carrying his cross, he has compassion on the weeping women – he worries about their pain. While in the midst of being murdered he prays for the ones who kill him.
Just this past Friday, a list has been released; a list of those men, priests and deacons who have contributed to the evil of this world in a particularly heinous way – the abuse of the innocent and the abuse of their power as ministers of Jesus Christ. Thus is the Lord still on the cross suffering for – and suffering from the members of his Church. I cannot give you an answer. I can only offer the cross. The cross that takes even the worst of sufferings and allows it to open up to new life, to healing, to hope beyond the horrendous reality that we have hurt one another, we have betrayed our children, we have killed our God. Sit, then, in the silence of his death, the silence of the tomb that is our only hope.
Wonderful Homily, Father Albert.
We enjoyed your Homily as always. Palm Sunday Mass was beautiful. Jeanerette sure is lucky to have you. We miss you at St. Peter’s. Cathy and Walter Elmer. :-))