From the Website of Vatican
links https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-04/gospel-reflection-palm-sunday-13-april-2025-abbot-marion.html
Lord's Day Reflection: Love in the Shape of a Cross
By Fr. Marion Nguyen, OSB*
One of the most moving experiences I had as a child was witnessing my aunt weeping during the proclamation of the Passion of our Lord on Palm Sunday. I was still in elementary school at the time, and her raw emotion left a lasting impression on me. Since then, recalling that moment has often stirred deep emotions whenever I read the Passion narratives. However, this year, while reading Saint Luke’s account, I noticed something different: those familiar sentiments of sadness and pain did not surface. I found myself asking—why?
Upon closer reading and comparing Luke’s Passion narrative with those of the other evangelists, I discovered something striking. Luke omits many of the graphic and brutal details found in the other Gospels—there is no mention of the scourging, the crown of thorns, the mocking by soldiers, the agony in the garden, or even the anguished cry of Jesus on the cross. Instead, Luke includes details that are either softened or entirely unique: Jesus comforts the mourning women (Lk 23:28), heals the ear of the high priest’s servant (Lk 22:51), forgives the repentant criminal (Lk 23:43), and commends his spirit to the Father with the words of Psalm 31, not Psalm 22 (Lk 23:46).
These choices paint a portrait of Jesus that is markedly composed, dignified, compassionate, and full of confidence in the Father’s providence. In Luke’s telling, Jesus becomes a living embodiment of the Suffering Servant described in Isaiah—one who submits completely to God’s will, embraces suffering, and does so for the sake of others' conversion and communion with God (cf. Is 52:13–53:12).
More than passive acceptance, Jesus shows eagerness for this moment of suffering and redemption. At the Last Supper, he says, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Lk 22:15). He then reinterprets the traditional Passover: “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me,” and, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Lk 22:19–20). With these words, Jesus transforms his Passion into the highest expression of love. He does not simply endure the cross—he embraces it. He takes what could be seen as the most tragic and unjust of human acts and turns it into the greatest act of self-giving, inaugurating a new way of relating to the Father.
This should give us pause.
In a world increasingly shaped by a narrative of victimhood—where we are quick to blame others for our suffering and slow to forgive—Jesus offers another option. Though completely innocent (cf. Lk 23:4, 14–15, 22) and condemned to a criminal’s death, Jesus never portrays himself as a victim. Instead, he embraces the cross with trust, humility, and love. He sees his suffering not as abandonment but as participation in the Father’s loving and salvific plan.
Where in our own lives do we still cling to the belief that we are victims? To claim victimhood, in its most despairing sense, is to imply that God has abandoned us. But after witnessing the Passion through Luke’s eyes, can we still believe we are abandoned?
* Abbot of St. Martin Abbey, Lacey, Washington
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