HE EMPTIED HIMSELF, ASSUMING THE CONDITION OF A SLAVE

PALM SUNDAY - Philippians 2:6-11

On this Palm Sunday, as we celebrate Jesus’ solemn entrance in Jerusalem, being proclaimed as the Messiah, we listen to the Christological hymn quoted in the letter to the Philippians. Indeed, it is commonly accepted that the hymn about the mystery of Christ presented in Philip 2:6-11 was already in use in the Christian communities before Paul inserted it in his letter.

His state was divine,

yet Christ Jesus did not cling

to his equality with God

but emptied himself

to assume the condition of a slave

and became as men are;

and being as all men are,

he was humbler yet,

even to accepting death,

death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name

which is above all other names

so that all beings

in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,

should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim

Jesus Christ as Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

The hymn starts with a clear statement about Jesus Christ: “His state was divine”. In the passion reading, takes from the gospel of Mark, “The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said: In truth, this man was a son of God.” (Mk 15:39). Jesus was not a common Jewish man, even though he looked like anybody else. In the deepest of his being, he was divine, he was the Son of God. This is the Christian belief, a belief professed since the time of the Apostles. To say that Jesus is the Son of God is a bold statement, which sounds like blasphemy. Indeed, the Jewish religious authorities accused Jesus of blasphemy, indicted him of being a false prophet and condemned him to death. How can Jesus of Nazareth be the Son of God? Paul would write that we cannot recognise Jesus as the Messiah and Saviour but for the revelation of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3).

The hymn in the letter to the Philippians, after that first statement, goes on speaking of the mystery of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the first movement, the Son of God emptied himself and assumed the condition of a slave. That is the mystery of the Incarnation. The Son of God takes human nature, or as John puts it: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). To reconcile us with God, the Son of God shared our human nature and experienced the human condition enslaved to sin. he “became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.” As the prophet Isaiah wrote: “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities” (Is 53:5). And he remained faithful up to the end, thus restoring humanity to its true self. God accepted him and the sacrifice of his life for sake of us all. So “ God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names”. And all must proclaim that Jesus Christ is “Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

During this Holy Week, we are going to remember Jesus’ life and death, so that by carrying the cross with him, we may share in his victory over sin and death. Dying with him, we will rise with him to the “glory of God the Father”.

WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE JESUS

V SUNDAY OF LENT - John 12:20-33

Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, with attracted people from everywhere, even from distant lands. Even though the big majority were Jews, an increasing number of non-Jews were proselytes or sympathisers were participating in the feast. This Sunday’s gospel speaks about a group of Greeks who had come to Jerusalem “to worship at the festival”. By then, Jesus was the talk of the day. Certainly, they heard what was being said about him; maybe, they even had a glimpse of him as he entered Jerusalem, acclaimed as the Messiah. And they became interested in him. So they went to Philip and expressed their desire to see Jesus.

Through this episode, the evangelist wants us to become aware of two important things: 

1. It was not enough to go to the Temple, offer sacrifices and worship there. Jesus is the new Temple and true worship can’t be offered but through him, who is at the same time the priest and the sacrifice. If the gentiles (the Greek, in this case) want to have a share in God’s plan of salvation, they need to encounter Jesus and accept Him as the Messiah. Converting to Judaism is not the way to find salvation, since only Jesus brings salvation. 
2. It took time for the Church to open her doors to the Gentiles. The first Christian communities were Jewish and though that the Gentiles should only be accepted if they accepted the Jewishness of the Christian faith by accepting Jewish customs and traditions. at was a great opportunity to see Jesus. These Greeks went to Jesus through the Church, approaching the apostle Philip. Being a serious issue, Philip consulted Andrew and together they went to Jesus. The gentiles were led to Jesus through the Apostles, who are the foundation upon which the Church is built.

In the second part of this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus makes it clear that to be his disciples, we must accept his way: “If a man serves me, he must follow me”. As Jesus, his disciples must be ready to lose his life, so that he may find it again in Jesus. And Jesus speaks of his “hour”, the hour to be glorified, and that will happen as he glorifies God by being faithful up to the end. Jesus’ crucifixion is the moment of his glorification because by offering his life in sacrifice, he overthrows “the prince of this world” and ushers in the Kingdom of God. “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself.”

WE ARE GOD’S WORK OF ART, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS

IV SUNDAY OF LENT - 2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23

The history of the people of Israel is not much different from the history of any other people. They went up and down, turned left and right; they went through times of peace and times of war, times of prosperity and times of poverty. And they went through times of religious fervour and times of indifference and even apostasy. What is different about them is that they were able to reflect upon their history and find in it God’s presence and action. They read their history as a dialogue and an interaction with God, in such a way that God is never absent from their history. Surely this capacity to look back and see the presence of God is possible only through God’s inspiration.

The book of Chronicles presents a rereading of the history of the people of Israel through the lenses of God’s plan. Yes, God had a plan for his people and he was going to carry it out despite the people’ infidelities. Thus, the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians are seen as God’s punishment for their continuous betrayal of the covenant. However, God remains faithful to his word and promises. Most of the people of Judah were taken as prisoners of war to Babylon and there remained for seventy years, seen as a sabbath for the land and the nation of Israel. During that period, while in a foreign land, people became aware of their sin and felt confronted by God who called them to repentance and renewal. After that, liberation came. And we get a big surprise, realising that God’s salvific and liberating presence takes place through the hands of a stranger. Cyrus king of Persia established his empire through conquest. Entering Babylon, Cyrus established a new policy, which allowed the conquered and dominated peoples to live in their land and follow their culture and religion. Thus, many Jews went back to the land of Israel, rebuilt the temple and reestablished the cult prescribed by the Law of Moses. Cyrus was seen as the liberator sent by God to set his people free. He was considered an anticipation of the Messiah, the Anointed of the Lord, who brings salvation to Israel and the world. The coming of Cyrus was the assurance that God had not forgotten the promise he had made to his people.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reflects on God’s plan of salvation, a plan that His love and mercy. Indeed, “God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy” (Ep 4:4). Despite our sin, God saved us and brought us to life through Jesus Christ. We are not saved, because we are clever, rich and powerful or because we good, honest and just. We are sinners and, due to our sin, we are unable to attain salvation. We are saved by grace: “not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done so that nobody can claim the credit.” From beginning to end, “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.” (Ep 2:10).

WE ANNOUNCE A CRUCIFIED CHRIST

III SUNDAY OF LENT - 1 Corinthians 1:22-25

The cross is still well visible in many public spaces, despite a concerted effort to banish it from the public sphere. Such an attitude comes from a clear attempt to reduce any religious practice to the privacy of one’s heart. The ideologues of the current political and social trends give as a reason for the banishment of the cross the respect we should have for those who may feel offended. In the end, it is a rejection of the values it represents. The cross always directs our minds to Christ. And most of the times, we use the crucifix, that is the cross with Jesus Christ crucified on it. The rejection of the cross is a rejection of Christ and a society rooted in Christ. 

Pursuing happiness at all costs, we do not want to be reminded of suffering and death. We are convinced that nothing is impossible if we are single-minded and try hard. All our dreams can be fulfilled, achieving excellence and overcoming all difficulties. However, the cross comes to remind us of that fallacy. We are mortal and, sooner or later, we’ll have to carry our cross. The cross of Christ gives meaning to our own crosses. 

In Roman times, the crucifixion was the capital punishment inflicted on slaves and all those who were not Roman citizens. For the high class of the Roman society, the crucifixion was shameful and the word cross was an insult. Then, it is not surprising that Jesus’ crucifixion was “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Co 1:23). How could he be the Messiah? How could he be the Son of God, dying like a criminal, abandoned and cursed by God? It is not surprising that groups have appeared who deny the crucifixion. For instance, Islam claims that Jesus was spared the punishment of the cross and that someone else looking like him was crucified in his place. However, the truth is that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate and we cannot proclaim his resurrection without affirming his death on the cross as well. He shed his blood for us and offered himself in sacrifice for the remission of sins. The Son of God took a human body and carried on his shoulders the full weight of our sin. He assumed the human condition, and “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Fil 2:7). Then, by his resurrection, he elevated our humanity to the glory of God.

We cannot proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ without preaching the “crucified Christ”. Paul refuses to do that and he makes it very clear that for those who are called and believe the Crucified Christ “is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” (1 Co 1:24-25). The cross of Christ forces us to have our feet on the ground and to become aware of God’s presence and care in the most difficult moments of our life. We will be one with the risen Lord Jesus Christ only if we are one with Him carrying the cross and dying with him.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

  they gladden the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear,

  it gives light to the eyes. (Ps 19:8).