Isaiah 45: 21 – 25 / Psalm 22: 1 – 11 / Philippians 2: 5 – 11 / Mark 15: 1 – 39
This
is the homily prepared for St. John’s Church, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene
Tucker for Sunday, March 28, 2021.
“CHRIST’S PASSION AND OUR
COMPASSION”
(Homily
text: Mark 15: 1 – 39)
Words can change their meaning over the passage of
time. Take, for example, the word “prevent”. Today, it has come to mean to take
an action to block an event or occurrence from taking place. But many years ago
(centuries, actually), the word meant to “come before”, stemming from the two
Latin words that make up the word “prevent” (pre + vent = before + come).
Two other words that are connected to the events of
Holy Week that have changed meaning quite a bit are “passion” and “compassion”.
In its usual usage today, “passion” means to have a strong desire or affection
or feeling for someone or something, as in, “I have a passion for trains.”
(Personally speaking, of course.)
But the word “passion” originally meant to
“suffer”, as in our Lord Jesus Christ’s Passion, that is, His suffering and
death on the cross on Good Friday. So, this Sunday, which is usually known as
Palm Sunday, is also known as the Sunday of the Passion, for this day looks
forward into the unfolding of events which led to our Lord’s death on Good
Friday and His rising to new life on Easter Sunday morning.
Similarly, the word “compassion” has come to mean
to have “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by
misfortune….”[1] But the original meaning of the word “compassion” was to “suffer with” someone.
As we stand at the edge of Holy Week, and prepare
ourselves to observe a proper Triduum (the three Holy Days), we would do well
to consider the old and the current meanings of the words “passion” and
“compassion”.
As we view our Lord’s Passion, we are called to be
moved with “compassion” (in the sense of having a deep feeling of sympathy or
sorrow for someone who is stricken by misfortune). To gauge our own sense of
“compassion” for our Lord’s Passion, consider how we might regard and feel
about the lot of the two thieves who were also crucified with Jesus. Do we
harbor the same sense of “compassion” for them? Perhaps not. But why would that
be so? Aside from the fact that these two were guilty of some wrongdoing and
Jesus was not, these two others suffered the same way that Jesus did, for (I
think) they were all crucified in the same manner (although I think, personally
speaking, that the decision to execute them was a last-minute decision on
Pilate’s part, which might have meant that they weren’t scourged before being
nailed to their crosses).[2]
Why is it, then, that we regard our Lord’s ordeal
so differently? Perhaps, if we think about it, it’s because we deeply love
Jesus, and because we see in His willingness to undergo His Passion that He is
expressing His love for us and for all humanity.
Our Lord had a “passion” (a strong desire) for His
work to be finished on Good Friday and on Easter. He prayed to the Father,
asking that the cup of suffering (passion) be taken from Him, but, He said,
“nevertheless, your will, not mine, be done”.
Christians down through time have pondered the
meaning of our Lord’s Passion, and His atoning death on the cross. One
conclusion that has been reached is that our Lord’s Passion (suffering) is an
ultimate demonstration of divine love for all humankind.
Out of love for our Lord’s Passion (suffering), we,
too, are called to our own “compassion” (a feeling of tenderness, sympathy and
sorrow for others who suffer in some way). As God has loved us in the person,
the work, the teachings, the suffering, the death and the rising to new life
again of our Lord Jesus Christ, so we, too, are called, each one of us, to our
own “passion” (suffering) as we ask the Holy Spirit to take away from us all
that is ungodly and unbecoming to the nature of Christ. As the Holy Spirit
works on us, remolding and remaking us into the full image of Christ, we can
act with “compassion” (a feeling of sympathy or sorrow or tenderness toward
others who are suffering) toward those who are in any need or trouble. There’s
no better way to share the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ with others.
AMEN.
[1] Webster’s new Universal Unabridged Dictionary
[2] The fact that Jesus died before the two thieves had had their legs broken (so that they couldn’t continue to breathe), points, perhaps, to the idea that they weren’t scourged prior to their journey to Calvary.
