April 4, 2004
Palms & Passion
Feet
Feet are kind of personal. The apostles got embarrassed when Jesus went
to wash their feet at the last supper. But he insisted. We have to be
servants of each other, in imitation of him, he said. And so on Holy
Thursday at St. Brigid’s we wash feet. First at the children’s
service in the afternoon, parents wash the feet of their children --
not unusual since they do that at home, but here in church it means
something more.
And then at night we have an opportunity to wash each other’s
feet. In some places only the priest washes 12 people’s feet and
it’s almost like watching a play about Jesus. But here we do the
difficult thing and let our feet be washed and wash the feet of others.
Maybe this is new for you -- uncomfortable, embarrassing, even difficult.
Jesus’ death on the cross was difficult. This is just one way
we follow him --it’s kind of personal.
At
College?
At St. Brigid’s we like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
March 28: Plenty
Good Room
March 21: More
Passion
March 14: Reconciliation
March 7: A sequel
from Mel?
Feb 29: Come
to
Life!
Feb
22: An Adventure to Life
Feb15:
A rose by another name?
Feb 8: If at
first...
Feb 1: Our Patron
Saint
Jan 25:A View
From Inside
Jan 18: Our
School
Jan 11: Baptism
with Fire
Colums from 2003
Columns from 2002
We’re going to hear the story of the passion of Jesus twice this week...once today (Luke’s version) and once Good Friday (John’s version). Many people have seen “Mel’s version” or last Sunday evening’s version on CBS. Listening to the two gospel accounts this week can help us focus in not on the”Hollywood Christ” but on the real Jesus of Nazareth who came to save us.
The best way to let Jesus touch
us is not to let the gospel remind of the movies...rather, let the words
of the gospel reach out and take hold of our hearts and imaginations.
What words in today’s passion account will live in you today? (The
danger is that there are so many words that all could get lost in the
drama of the day.)
Yet the day’s dramatic start
ought not to be forgotten either. There is something comforting about
holding a piece of fresh palm in our hand. There is a feel and smell to
palm that link us through the Palm Sundays of our lives -- all the way
back to our youth. And we remember our early love for Jesus...how he got
us through exams and sports and through colds and flus, how he took our
part when we faced unfairness, how he helped us when we faced deaths or
other loss of people we loved. Holding the palm in our hands brings back
so many memories and jogs us into giving back to Jesus this day where
we enter into his passion -- not as if in a movie, but in a real relationship,
together in this community which struggles to believe.
I have come to know the power of
palm because each year Jesus reaches out and brings just a certain number
of people back from a distant relationship with him and his church. I
don’t know who it will be this year -- maybe your relative, your
friend, your neighbor, your co-worker...maybe you? How I wish everyone
would stay and build this community of faith and love for Jesus. But each
year, folks slip back into a dull distance and Jesus waits for another
chance to enkindle faith again. But some are moved by the passion of Jesus
and come to life again in a new way. Jesus’ arms are open on the
cross. Our arms are open too!
You are Person
