Palm Sunday
By Deacon Dick Kostner
Last Sunday you heard me talk about how the Light of Christ is charged through the Body of Christ which is represented by Christ’s bride he calls his Church, human people baptized and energized with faith. Today we will see “Act Two” of Last Week’s Homily where we see the human side of Jesus as he contemplates the conclusion of his mortal life through the Way of the Cross. It begins with a prayer in the Garden to the Father wondering if maybe the cup might pass from him. With His prayer ending, but “not my will but thy will be done!”
The Passion begins on a happy note where Jesus experiences the joy of his presence with the people he loves. It is a happy day, with Jesus feeling good about the relationships he has made with people he loves. But we all know that what goes “up” usually comes “down” in this imperfect world we live in. He is well aware that his time is near to accept human suffering and human death so that people he loves can be cleansed of their sins by and through the sacrifice of the Lamb and his resurrection and victory over death, allowing his people to live in knowing that death is not the end but rather the doorway to their home in heaven.
For those who follow the teaching of Jesus this means that the Passion of Christ is also the crystal ball of our future. Fifty plus years ago I began my journey to become an attorney to join my brother and dad in their practice. My place of study was in Chicago. What I did not know is that the school I was attending had a rule that all students had to maintain a GPA of 80% on the one final exam that was given at the end of each semester. Failure to attain that would put you in the a state of probation. The schools policy was that students would only be allowed to go on probation once in order to continue on with the school. The tests consisted of about ten essay questions on a set of facts which needed to be analyzed to find the issues, the rules of law governing those issues, and then to apply the rules of law to those issues. The tests were timed allowing ninety minutes to complete. In my case I ran out of time and failed to answer two of ten questions posed. This required me to answer the other eight questions without missing any facts, rules, or application of those rules which I failed to do.
Like Jesus, I feared that the odds were against me in being able to complete my required three years of education to become a lawyer. Like Jesus, I prayed for guidance as to whether I could be successful in attaining my goal and vocation of being able to help others solve legal problems they may encounter. Like Jesus I put my choices in the Fathers hands for an answer. I got a response quickly through my dad. I remember quizzing my dad on the same question for his response and his response to me was to “tough it out.” One of my best friends in law school was Bob. Bob and I would sometimes go across the street to a bar to unwind after classes. One day I confessed to Bob that I was on probation and that the odds were against me that I could evade going on probation again with five more semester tests ahead of me as I never had enough time left to complete all the questions that needed to be answered. He agreed with me that the time posed a threat in completing all the questions. He thought for a minute and said “Dick do you outline each question before you try and apply the rules to the facts?” I laughed at him and said how can I do that when I am already running out time in answering the questions? He said look, you need to do that for if you complete outlining all the questions first the instructor will know that you have identified 95% of the issues and laws governing and needed in resolving the issues involved even if you fail to do the final job of applying the facts to the rules of law!
I took Bob’s advice and Bob and I were part of the twelve individuals who graduated from my law school from an original class of over two hundred students. I recently did a Google search in order to see if I could find a way to make contact with Bob who now practices law in Chicago. I was successful and was able to make contact with him last year. I thanked him and told him that I would not of been able to become a lawyer without his help and support, without him having recharged my flashlight so I could see through the darkness of a “Good Friday.”
We all will encounter in this life downers that seem to be insurmountable. We like our Teacher will need to go to the Garden and have a chat with our Heavenly Father on how to proceed during “Good Friday” times. The good news is that the Father is listening and will dispatch the Body of Christ agents, the “Bob’s” in my story, to help us overcome those seemingly “insurmountable events” and lead us to the bright light of His Easter Sunday Resurrection. Let us close with a prayer:
Lord,
may everything we do
begin with your inspiration
and continue with your saving help
Let our work always find its origin in you
And through you reach completion.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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