'His Blood be upon us' (Palm Sunday homily)

Every year on Palm Sunday, we hear two Gospel passages.

We hear the crowd greet Jesus with joy;
We hear the same crowd—a few days later—
Cry for his blood.

You and I are that crowd.

Why did this happen?
Do NOT say the Father made his Son do this.

God could have saved us any way he wanted.

This is what the Son chose to do.
He chose it before time began;
And he chose it again
The night before he died.

Jesus chose this.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said this:

“I tell you that if God had not come down
…and given us the supreme example of sacrifice,
then it would be possible for fathers and mothers,
men and women of countless ages,
to do something greater, it would seem,
than God himself could do,
namely, lay down their lives for a friend.”
We heard those words:
Let “his blood be upon us and upon our children.”

It is a frightening thing to say, isn’t it?

But wait…
His blood washes away our sins!
His Blood is poured out at every Mass as our Eucharist;

His Blood is our Life.

These aren’t words of fear,
But a prayer full of hope:
Pour out your Blood on us, Jesus!
“His Blood be upon us and upon our children.”
Thank you Jesus!