Palm sunday mass homily, cycle C

The humility of God 

Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:56

 Following Pope Emeritus Benedict's reflection on the passion and death of Jesus in his book, "I believe in one God", he summarized the events from the Last Supper till Calvary in this one word, "humility".

First point: Jesus corrected the arrogance of Adam, "who wanted to be like God".  "In becoming man, he does not hesitate to take upon himself all human weaknesses, save sin, and going even as far as the depths of death." (p. 37)

Second, he goes to the point of "emptying himself, taking the form of a slave ... he doesn't was to use his being as God."  This is known as kenosis, the humbling of Jesus.  He did this to embrace and go beyond our reality marked by suffering, poverty, human limitations, and by death.

Third, "the Lord did all these because of his "love" for us; he chose to empty himself and make himself our brother, out of love he shared our condition, that of every man and woman." (p. 38)

Humility now has three connecting realities: correction of arrogance, to the point of self-emptying, and love.  These shall be our guide to a better understanding of our own human realities, now founded on Jesus.