Meditation of Palm Sunday Year A: Isaiah 50: 4-7, Psalm 22, Phil 2: 6- 11,Matthew 26: 14- 27:6

By Dn. Jean Yao, SJ

Topic: the vulnerability of God

In front of the mystery of suffering, some people wonder: “To live is to love, to love is to suffer, to suffer is to die, so why live at all?”. At the very heart of suffering lies a mystery, a reality that is difficult to live and understand. The Passion of our Lord that we listen today shows us the image of a God who becomes weak, who suffers at the same time the betrayal of his close collaborators and who is nailed on a cross. The canticle of the Suffering Servant in the book of Isaiah shows how the disciple of God suffers insults, spitting, humiliation.

Dear brothers and sisters, in our various suffering, the future seems uncertain, that very future does not exist anymore. We come to discover that we are very vulnerable. Faced with the death of loved ones, during an illness that weakens us, we cry out to God “Why? Why is this happening to me? “Our sufferings are real, sometimes we experience these sufferings in solitude, with no one to support us. And in our suffering, time lasts longer. St. Ignatius remarked, “the divinity is hidden and lets the most sacred humanity of Christ endure so much extreme cruelty. “Jesus himself is weak in the face of death and humiliation, but we can learn from his attitude.

Two things to consider for this week. The first is the awakening of all the senses: ear, eyes, mouth to listen and feel this silent God who accompanies us in suffering. Even in suffering we must continue to be disciples of hope. Secondly, Through the suffering of Jesus, we become aware that God does not take pleasure in our suffering. God rather understands our feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability. In the cross and in death, Jesus is the model of empathy, in other words, he suffers as a silent friend at our side, he cries when we cry, he suffers with us, he feels weak with us and moreover, he takes our weaknesses upon himself. May the meditation of this holy week help us to understand that the greatest remedy for despair, for death, for suffering is love. The wise man of Madagascar affirms in that sense: “Grief is like a great treasure: we open it only to our intimate friends. » I wish to all a fruitful pilgrimage towards Easter.

Deacon Jean Yao, SJ