Homily for Palm Sunday

Homily for Palm Sunday

April 2, 2023
Matt 27: 11-54
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of Esperanza, Manhattan

“His blood be upon us and upon our children” (Matt 27: 25).

Pilate condemns Jesus

Passion Play at Salesian Work, Itajai, Brazil

When the crowd assembled in front of Pontius Pilate shouts this cry, they’re accepting that they’re taking responsibility for bringing about the crucifixion of Jesus, for which they’ve clamored, stirred up by the chief priests and the elders.  The chief priests and the elders, and now the whole people, bear the guilt for Jesus’ execution.

Pilate, tho he symbolically washes his hands of responsibility, also shares the guilt because he has the power to do what’s right but goes along with what he knows is wrong.  He perverts justice by condemning an innocent man.

The crowd also speaks for us.  Our sins, the sins of all of humanity, are the cause of Christ’s death.  Christ accepted the death penalty, the price for sin—St. Paul says that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23)—even tho Christ was sinless.  He paid the penalty that you and I, all of us, deserve on account of our sins, our big and little defiance against the goodness of God.  His blood is upon us.

We can take the cry of the crowd in another sense.  Christ’s blood is upon us as the price of our redemption.  We repeat at every Mass, quoting Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, that the chalice of his blood is “the blood of the new and eternal covenant” poured out for us, for the forgiveness of our sins.  Christ’s blood covers us, washes over us, cleanses us of sin, wins pardon for us.  In this sense, we can acclaim in hope, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.”

May the blood of Christ shed for us lead us into the life of his resurrection, cleansed of all our sins.