Palm & Passion Reflections

Palm/Passion Sunday always gets me thinking about the events leading directly up to Holy Week, especially Good Friday through Easter. The reading of the Passion leaves us wondering, just like the disciples, how this will all turn out. We, too, find ourselves waiting and watching. Even though I know the end of the story, I find myself waiting, each and every year.

This year, I'm also finding myself reflecting once more upon violence and brutality. This past weeks news events have high lighted that for me. In particular they remind me of the spiral of violence. When a violent act is responded to with another violent act which is in turn responded to in violence, the spiral continues. Not even a month ago I was listening to commentary regarding the Israel-Palestinian situation. The commentator was saying that due to the recent violence, yet another generation of Israelis and Palestinians are growing up exposed to violence and seeking revenge. The spiral continues. How to stop the spiral of violence?

What struck me this year, was how Jesus chose - Jesus responded - with no-violent resistance. Just as his entire ministry was based upon non-violent resistance, Jesus remains non-violently prophetic to the end (and looking from the Easter perspective, the beginning). Jesus seeks to break the spiral of violence. Even if it means that the spiral of violence breaks upon him.

This year, I am left waiting, and pondering, what it means for me to live peacefully, and respond to life's events in ways that help to end the spiral of violence. How is our wounded God calling us forth into new ways of peace and justice and compassion?