Palm Sunday

Mark 15: 1-39 (40-47)

+++ Blessed Sunday po sa ating lahat na mga nandirito ngayon na kasa-kasama natin.

Thank you for joining us in this Palm Sunday – Passion Sunday Holy Eucharist. At alam nyo po

mga kapatid, this Sunday can be called “The Sunday of Opposites,” in fact the “Sunday of

Ironies.” For indeed its dalawa talaga yung sinicelebrate sa Linggong ito, ito lang katangi-tangi,

noh. We have the celebration and commemoration of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, and with

that, the beginning of the Passion, noh. Kaya para sa atin ito po ang panimula ng ating mga

‘Mahal na Araw’, the beginning of the Holy Week o Semana Santa. One of the Holiest Week for

us as Christians. So yung celebration natin kanina may Ebanghelyo tayo roon, noh, mayroon

tayong Palaspas, masaya ang mga awitin, Hosanna to the Son of David! So, we started with Joy

and then, proper to the mass, we have a second Gospel, the commemoration of the Passion of

our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, sa Good Friday po muli nating babalikan ang mg kwento, ang mga

napapalibot doon sa Crucifixion, sa Passion, sa suffering of our Lord. But this Sunday is also

dedicated to that Passion of Jesus. That’s why, we read from the Gospel of Mark, his version of

how Jesus died on the cross…. MASAYA – Glorification, then MALUNGKOT – The

Passion…. Kaya it’s a Sunday of Opposites, the Sunday of Ironies.

Pero marami pang iba na medyo magkakabaliktad. Halimbawa dun, they were saying

“Hail, the King of the Jews.” They hailed Jesus and yet, look at Jesus, even though they look at

Him as the King of the Jews, and he claimed to be the King, and yet He’s riding a Donkey, an

Ass o Asno, a beast of burden. Walang hari na umuupo sa isang ika-nga mababang uri ng hayop,

and yet here, the King of the Universe riding an Ass. Pinakamababa, pinakamurang uri ng

hayop…. Then the other ironies as well. Kanina sa second reading binasa, Jesus, even though
siya ay Anak ng Diyos, did not cling on to be in God. Kahit na Siya ang makapangyarihan, kahit

Siya ang pinakamataas, Anak ng Diyos, Siya ay Diyos Himself, yet one who gave up on His

glory and came down to be with us… What an irony again. Everybody wants to be powerful;

everybody wants to be on top. And here is God Himself – wanting to be down with His people,

another irony… and so, marami pang ibang klaseng makikitang mga ironies kung pag-iisapan

natin. And is it not, my brothers and sisters, life is indeed full of ironies.

Alam nyo po, I remember, a cousin of mine, pinsan ko pong doctor, isang masayahing

tao, tawa ng tawa, nung pong nagkasama kami sa isang retreat, nagsabi po siya sa akin na “Alam

mo, you please pray for me.” Dahil siya na doctor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Bilang

doctor, alam niya what it means. It's one of those cancer, pancreatic, that is very difficult to cure

if ever curable at all. Sabi niya “Please pray for me because that’s all I have.” She refused

already any further intervention, any further medication, wala nang chemotherapy. Siya pa

naman and doctor, siya pa ngayon ang nagsasabing – Huwag nang gamot, noh. Siya ang doctor

na magpapagaling ng maysakit, siya ngayon ang maysakit, noh. And the fact that siya ngayon

ang almost let’s just say, terminally ill na, and yet masayahin siya sa buhay. Bagama’t nalungkot

ako, pero sinabi ko, “Kung hindi mo sinabi hindi ko mahahalata.” Kasi nga, hindi naman siya

malungkot, hindi siya dejected, hindi siya umiiyak, in fact nakikipag joke pa siya palagi. Kung

hindi pa niya sinabi sa akin, I would have not known that she is terminally sick. Alam nyo po

anong sinabi niya? She embraces it already. At alam nyo po, that is very important my dear

brothers and sisters, because she learned to embrace it.

By this, let us remember Jesus also sa Kanyang Passion. Alam Niya na kung siya ay

papasok sa Jerusalem, Siya ay dadakpin, Siya ay tutugisin, Siya ay papatayin, and yet, he

embraced it. And that is an important part of life. While life is full of ironies, opposites, and
contradictions, our remedy I think that Jesus is showing us this Sunday is to embrace it. Sa

pagpasok natin sa Holy Week, Samahan natin ang Panginoon sa Kanyang pagpapakasakit. At

may TAPANG ika-nga na tinatanggap. May tapang na tinatanggap yung darating sa Kanya, yung

Kanyang sakripisyo sa Krus. Kailangan din po natin iyan. Yung tapang. Na hindi tayo

padadaig sa takot o pangamba, bagkos ay sisikapin natin at ipagdarasal din natin na mayroon

tayong kahinahunan sa loob at pagtanggap sa mga sitwasyon na dumarating sa atin.

Acceptance is very important so that we can be courageous enough to accept whatever

situations we are facing right now…. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was decided already. He

could have escape, pwedeng-pwede kayang-kaya Niya na tumakas sana, pero pumunta pa talaga

siya doon sa Lion’s den. Nandun yung mga may ayaw sa Kanya, yung mga kumakalaban sa

Kanya, yung nagtatangka sa Kanyang buhay, nandun sa City of Jerusalem, ngunit Siya pa talaga

ang pumasok sa Jerusalem. What an Irony. Kung tatakasan nalang Niya sana yun, pumunta na

sana Siya sa ibang lugar, pero pumasok Siya becuase He has the courage of embracing the

cross. It is that attitude of embracing life with all its joys and its passion. Now, that is difficult,

noh. But Jesus showed us the way.

And there are people, my brothers and sisters, you might know, who are really heroic in

embracing what life throws at them. Sila yung mga tao na marunong pumasan ng kanilang mga

Krus. Mga Kapatid, in this Palm Sunday – Passion Sunday, as we enter with Jesus in this Holy

Week, then, let us also reflect on how He, as our King, or Lord, is leading us to life. And with

that, we too, will be strengthened that what life gives to us, always, always ends with

resurrection; it always ends with the victory of Easter; it always gives us the reward of

eternal life.
 So, in the end, if we are with the Lord, we are also with the Passion. Ngunit huwag nating

kakalimutan ang resurrection. Mga Kapatid, as one people of God, let us celebrate life with Jesus

in all its aspects, with all its contradictions, with all its ironies, because we are a people of the

resurrection. +++