Fr Kevin Kilgore

“Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany…they gave a dinner for him there” (Jn. 12:1-2).

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In the Gospel, Jesus is six days away from his death.

How timely it is, then, that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus extended a dinner invitation to Jesus to thank him for all he’s done.

Notice how they show their gratitude for him in different ways.

Lazarus opens his home. Martha prepares and serves the meal. And Mary spends all she has on a costly bottle of perfume to anoint Jesus’ feet, then washing them with her tears.

Three different gestures with the same message: thank you.

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How do I show my gratitude for others?

Think in particular about our family, our friends, and Jesus. How do we thank them for their role in our lives?

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Holy Week can teach us many things. But the first lesson on Monday morning is this: it’s never too late to give thanks.

Note: This homily was written for our children’s Mass.

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I was up the hill teaching at our parish school recently and I asked some students between kindergarten and third grade about a time when they had to be brave.

One young girl said, “Well, um, one time I was brave when I jumped into the deep end of the pool.”

Another, “I used to be afraid of the slide outside at the playground. But that was back in first grade. Now I go down it all the time!”

Then a young boy piped up, “Once I spilled the milk. My mom asked if it was me. I was nervous, but I said, ‘yes’.”

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Even the youngest among us know what it means to be brave – to tell the truth, to take risks, to jump into the deep.

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Today Jesus begins the most important week of his life – a week in which he must be brave.

He’s jumping into the deep, trusting he’ll rise again.

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As we heard in the Gospel, he enters Jerusalem on a Sunday, surrounded by crowds laying palm branches at his feet like he’s their king.

But by Friday afternoon he’ll be nailed to a cross.

Sadly, Jesus dies almost entirely alone – only Mary, John, and a few other friends stay with him. The rest run away.

We can imagine how Jesus felt – it’s that feeling you get when you’re alone on the playground, when you’re being bullied, or when you’re sitting at lunch without any friends.

It’s like a sinking stomach. Being alone hurts.

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To all of our children gathered here this morning, I ask of you: Will you run away from Jesus? Or will you be brave and follow him?

If you’re ready to be brave, please stand, hold up your palms, and repeat after me: “I will be brave. I will follow Jesus.”

 

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Throughout this week, the Gospels will paint a picture of Jesus in very tense discussions with the religious leaders of Israel.

Though he claims to be the Son of God, or the “light of the world” as he says in yesterday’s Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees are convinced that he’s a heretic – a crazy imposter who needs to be put to death.

He’s made blasphemous claims.

This tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day takes a dramatic turn on Sunday when he enters Jerusalem for a final time, clashing with the very men who will put him to death.

Interestingly enough, Jesus knows what will happen. He knows his claims of being God’s Son will lead to his death.

How does he do it? How does he not retreat in fear or change his mind?

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He knows that he will rise again.

In the meantime, he finds the strength he needs by praying to his Father, who alone can comfort him in these incredibly tense moments.

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How many of us have felt like Jesus – afraid, overwhelmed, saddened, or insecure – as if the world is closing in around us?

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It’s in these moments that he invites us to turn to him for comfort. He’s been there. He’ll always give us the strength we need to move forward in our lives.

As he says, “Come to me, all you who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.”