The Itinerary of God's Mercy Amidst Hostilities

[1] The Readings of Holy Week from Palm Sunday highlight the extent of evil a person can commit against God’s boundless love for humanity. This reflection focuses on the Gospel reading for Palm Sunday in 2026. It shows the sovereignty of God’s will in its realization of the economy of salvation. God moves from one scene to another, where Jesus, the Father’s protagonist, meets the hostile personages of the salvific drama. He overcame each of them not with violence but with love and mercy. The Passion Narrative may be described as an Itinerary of God’s mercy in the midst of human hostility.

[2] The Gospel begins with Judas’s betrayal as he colludes with the authorities to hand Jesus over. They paid him thirty pieces of silver, an amount akin to what is given for a slave fed to an animal. Judas was seeking an opportunity to betray Jesus.

[3] A supper is an intimate occasion for the twelve apostles. Jesus shared a meal with his trusted disciples. Judas acted like one of them, among Jesus's close and trusted companions. The supper, which creates an atmosphere of trust, contrasts sharply with Judas’s betrayal. Indeed, it emphasizes the seriousness of the act.

[4] During the meal, Jesus pointed out the betrayal and directly named the perpetrator. Yet, the traitor did not hesitate or change his plans. Moreover, Jesus predicted Peter’s future denial and that all his disciples would abandon him. Despite this, Jesus did not prevent them from being part of his inner circle. He respected their freedom.

[5] We know this supper is not just an ordinary meal, but the moment He established the Holy Eucharist. The impending betrayal by Judas and Peter’s imminent denial did not stop Jesus from thanking God the Father. The guilt of his trusted collaborators does not diminish the intimacy Jesus shares with them. They did not stop Jesus from doing the Father’s will; he went from the Cenacle to the Garden of Gethsemane.

[6] During the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, there are Judases and Peters among the faithful, yet this does not keep us from praising God's greatness among us. The beauty of the Eucharist outweighs human sins. There is always a reason to thank God, despite betrayals and denials of those who were supposed to be closer to us. They should not impede us from realizing God’s plan for us.

[7] In this place, Jesus truly revealed his humanity; he was afraid and disturbed. Moreover, he showed how to handle such a predicament; he prayed to the Father. He asks the Father if it was possible to pass the chalice over him, but not according to his own will, but the Father’s will prevail. Jesus shows us what true filial piety is, despite fear. What do we do when we are afraid? Do we become closer to God?

[8] While Jesus was agonizing, the disciples were sleeping. Such indifference adds to the pain. In fact, Jesus’ prophecy about being abandoned by the disciples began to take place at this moment. He asked them to pray as they accompanied him, and yet they left him alone to pray. Jesus did not grumble; he just exhorted them to pray; he respected them and their freedom. Their indifference did not hinder Jesus’ intimacy with the Father.

[9] In this atmosphere of intimacy between the Father and the Son, and the ambiance of respect between Jesus and the disciples, Judas broke in. He succeeded in finding the opportune time to deliver the Teacher, right at the moment of prayer, the most intimate moment between the Son and the Father. There, the traitor broke in masked with a kiss of pretentious intimacy and rude politeness, “Good evening, Master!” They were usually gestures of intimacy and respect, but Judas made them gestures of betrayal. How many times are our gestures of reverence indeed masks of infidelity? Yet, Jesus did not lose his serenity. They moved with Jesus from the Garden of Olives to the House of Caiaphas.

[10] One of Jesus’ disciples struck the ear of the chief priest’s slave. The synoptic gospels did not identify him, but the gospel of John identified him as Simon Peter (Jn 18:10). Jesus rebuked the one who tried to save Him by the sword (violence). He healed the severed ear of the servant. Violence breeds violence; only God truly saves. Could war truly achieve peace?

[11] The setting describes the trial of Jesus, which, at the outset, was illegal and took place almost in the middle of the night. The chief priest, a mediator between God and his people, stood before the Word of God with the People of God in the background. It seemed Jesus was being examined, but in fact, the chief priest stood before the Word of God; he was the one being examined. The chief priest failed before the Word because the former was not seeking the truth, but the latter’s condemnation. The house of Caiphas, which should be a house of justice, is being condemned by the presence of the Just One. Those witnesses, who were supposed to tell the truth, were convicted by their lies before the Truth of God.

[12] Our judicial system does not lack brilliant lawyers and justices. It may be lacking Christ. Where there is no Christ, there is no truth, there is no justice. What happened to Jesus continues to happen to many Christians today. Liars in judicial environments continuously spitting on the face of Jesus through wrong testimonies against the innocent. How many are being tortured today in the name of faith?

[13] Peter swore while going to the Garden of Olives that he was very willing to lay down his life in defending Jesus, and here is the moment of the acid test of his faith. Take note, while Jesus was interrogated before the Sanhedrin in the house of Caiaphas, Peter was waiting outside the courtyard. He was not accused of any wrongdoing. He was asked only three times on different occasions about his possible association with Jesus. Constantly, he denied his association with Jesus. Have you experienced being denied by someone, as if they did not know you? If you did, you are in the league of Jesus.

[14] Where was Judas when he realized his mistake? Exactly, no one knows. But he was already outside the scene of salvation. Those who gave him money were not interested in his regrets about what he had done. He was outside the saving glance of Jesus. Comparably, in the case of Peter, he went out and wept – gestures of repentance. On the other hand, Judas left and hanged himself – an act of desperation. The beginning of the Gospel describes Judas already excluding himself from Jesus’ trusted circle. He began to withdraw from the salvific scene when he connived with the authorities to arrest Jesus. Jesus did not exclude him. Rather, he excluded himself from Jesus. Every time we sin, we exclude ourselves from the saving embrace of Jesus.

[15] Capital punishment (e.g., crucifixion) was reserved for the Roman authority. Pilate knew the exact motive for bringing Jesus before him: envy. His wife, Claudia, was more certain and warned him not to judge Jesus because he was innocent. Yet, Pilate was a pleaser. He wanted to entertain the religious authorities of Jerusalem. His play-safe attitude was his downfall before the eyes of the religious leaders. He was not able to judge objectively, but out of fear, he gave in to their whim. His washing of hands was a show of his irresponsibility. He knew their real motive – envy. He could have freed Jesus, yet he let them have their way. He became a puppet of their envy.

[16] The choice between Jesus and Barabbas shows the indecisiveness of the people as regards the real issue. The choice between the innocent and the culprit describes the quality of their choice, which represents our choices too. How many times have we chosen Barabbas politicians over good and capable ones, simply for the reason of being handsome or popular? Every time we choose sins over Jesus, we are reliving this scene.

[17] Jesus’ condemnation is actually a condemnation against human injustices throughout history. How many innocents were being condemned because they lacked influence, power, and money? Human justice, in most cases, is unjust. It is only for the few, the rich, the powerful, and the politically influential. If you experience injustice, remember the Son of God suffered such injustice likewise.

[18] Jesus did not skip this episode in his life. He participated in it as a victim so that those who suffer injustices of this kind will not be left alone. Jesus sanctified the victims of injustices by being with them. This is the meaning of the Angelus’ prayer: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” He dwelt in the world of injustices, and he intermingled with the oppressed ones. With those who suffer, he suffered. This invites us to share the cross of others. After the condemnation, Jesus walked while carrying the cross towards Golgotha.

[19] Simon of Cyrene, contrary to Judas, was inserted into the scene of the salvation event. He was on the way, either going to work or going back home. He was forced to carry the cross of salvation some distance. He shared the burden of Jesus. Did he realize later on the honor he had of carrying the cross of Jesus? Are we not, in one way or another, like Simon of Cyrene? We never planned or intended, and all of a sudden, we become involved in carrying others’ burdens. If it happens to us, it is so. Jesus sanctified the Simons in this world. Take note, not everyone could be Simon of Cyrene, but only the chosen ones.

[20] The scene on the Calvary was seemingly one of total defeat on the part of the Son of God. On the other hand, his enemies believed they had won. Jesus was insulted by the bystanders and religious leaders. They challenged Him to save himself as he saved others in the past. The human creatures were challenging their Creator. They did not know that Jesus was also their God and Creator. It does not change the fact that they were men, and Jesus is God. The degree of moral culpability is one thing, but a reality between creatures and God is another thing. How many times have men challenged God to prove that He is an almighty God? His power consists in suffering with men. His power is not to show his might. He waited for the right moment: Easter Sunday.

[21] In Golgotha, there is the twist of the story. The religious leaders persisted in the stubbornness of their hearts; on the other hand, the pagan captain and his soldiers, upon experiencing the earthquake at the time of the death of Jesus, and seeing all that happened, began to confess, “Truly this is the Son of God.” They may not be well-versed in the law, but they recognized the One as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The grace of the Crucified moved him from a non-believer to a believer, while the “believer” remained an unbeliever. Most of the time, the newly converted truly see Christ more mysteriously, while the institutionalized religious have become fossilized.

[22] In the last scene of the Passion narrative, Jesus was put in the tomb. The gospel according to Matthew does not say where the tomb was, but John does, in the garden (cf., Jn 19:41). Genesis chapters 2 & 3 remind us about our first parents in the Garden of Eden, and there they fell from the grace of God. Indeed, in the Garden of Eden, death had entered mankind. Similarly, in the garden was entombed the Word, which was about to resurrect and reverse what happened with our first parents in the Garden of Eden. In Eden, death has entered; in the garden’s tomb, life has returned. It seems that death has the final say… but only for a while.

[23] When everything seemed to be over for the chief priests and the Pharisees, the real burden began to come out: the issue of the resurrection. They crucified Jesus for claiming to be the Messiah. They crucified him on that charge, and he was dead. It should be over now. However, the words of Jesus’ preaching about his resurrection are a ghost that hunts them, especially beginning Easter Sunday. As a temporary solution, they stationed guards over the tomb. These guards, their own guards, will become the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ Resurrection.

[24] There are times we want a short-term solution for our problems. Afterwards, a greater problem appears. Many victims of politics were short-term solutions. They thought that the death of the opposition members would eliminate the opposition, only to find out the contrary.

[25] There are at least three movements in the reflection about the Passion Narrative according to Matthew: local, events, and theological movements. They are intertwined in the person of Jesus as a narrative of salvation history.

[26] Local movement. When Jesus entered history, it was very precise, in the city of Galilee, in the town of Nazareth, in the house of Mary. The Annunciation and Incarnation were geographically indicated; it really happened in a specific place (cf., Lk 1:26-38). The same when He was born, Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea. Jesus’ ministry generally moved around in Galilee, and in the latter days in Judea. The early ministry took place in the region of Galilee (Mt chapters 3-18), and the latter ministry in the province of Judea (Mt chapters 19-28:15), and the concluding part after the resurrection was back to Galilee (Mt 28:16-20). In those places, Jesus proclaimed the love and mercy of God, particularly in Jerusalem, through his passion and resurrection. God’s mercy was concretely moving from one place to another in the person of the Son of God made flesh.

[27] Movement of events. Wherever Jesus went, it was a salvific event in the midst of hostile movements of men (e.g., Judas went to the chief priests, they took supper together, they went to the Garden of Olives, the arrest of Jesus, Peter’s denial, via Crucis, etc.) The local movement is a vehicle for events; in return, they sanctified those places.

[28] Theological movements. The local and event movements happened in the person of Jesus, the Son of God. Consequently, as a man, they became historical places, and as God, they became theological, specifically Christological. No wonder even non-Christians visit the places associated with Jesus. There were Christological events that happened in those places. Once upon a time, the Mercy of God walked with men the way it was in the Garden of Eden (see, Gen 3:8).