We are gathered together here in solemn preparation for the
Easter Passover of Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ and, on hearing St. Luke’s account
of our Lord’s Passion and Death we have been struck by the horror of His sufferings
and by His wondrously patient endurance.
Embracing the Cross, on the left hand by His total commitment to us and,
on the right hand by His absolute trust in and love for His Father, He was,
ultimately Himself, resting in the
peace and joy of total fulfilment as our Redeemer, and as the lovingly obedient,
only-begotten, Son of the heavenly Father.
We need to be clear in our minds about the difference
between emotion and devotion, for they are not the same, nor are they
necessarily found together. Emotions express
and affect our natural feelings, whereas devotion is the sign and measure of
our supernatural commitment; moreover, our emotions are largely instinctive and
self-centred whereas devotion is subject to our will and centred on God. Devotion benefits greatly when backed-up by
the appropriate ‘power’ of emotions; however, devotion is not necessarily diminished
by the absence of emotions; indeed, devotion can be at its greatest when deprived
of them. Emotion, alone, is of no worth,
its function is to assist what is more worthy than itself; devotion, on the
other hand, is always solely and supremely commendable before God
Dear People of God, we are sinners and God alone is
holy. All the good we have, or can have,
is His gift to us. Therefore, we must
never be surprised at our own possible weariness, dryness, or lack of emotional
feelings, even on occasions like today, for that is a true picture of us, for we are, of ourselves,
barren and fruitless.
As Catholic Christians, however, our attention and
expectations are centred on God. He is
good, and He has given His own Son to save us from our sinfulness. What we have to try to do is what the
Suffering Servant, in the first reading, shows us:
Morning by morning
He, the lord God, awakens; He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear and I was
not rebellious, I turned not backwards.
Jesus, that is, woke up prepared to accept whatever His Father–of–Infinite-Wisdom–and-Love has planned for
Him. That seems simple enough for even
us to understand, and beautiful enough for even us to imagine we would love to
be able to accomplish it. But oh! It is
a course that could and can only be
lived out by One who was -- for love of His Father and for
us -- totally self-less, patient beyond all measure, utterly committed to His
calling as one sent by His Father, ONE
WHO NEVER EVER GRUMBLED against what His Father, in
His infinite wisdom, knowledge, and love would or might ever, ever, ask of Him.
And that, indeed, is what we are, in fact, doing here
today: we have put ourselves in Jesus’ way, waiting and listening in case He
might possibly turn His gaze to see us and speak to us as He did to blind Bartimaeus,
or even come to dwell a little with us as He did in the case of Zacchaeus.
However, we do most directly and earnestly beseech Him that whatever He does, He might lead us, by His indwelling (thanks to Mother Church and Holy Mass) most Holy Spirit, to greater and more sincere, more self-sacrificing, love for the heavenly Father, and thereby make us more worthy disciples of such a sublime Son Who put on human flesh that He might -- in our flesh and for us -- love the Father Who originally created our flesh as an expression of the divine goodness, bounty and beauty, of its Creator.
