4/5/20: Palm Sunday: The Lent We Wanted but Didn't Have

In today's magnificent Gospel of the Passion of Jesus from Matthew's Gospel, there's an emphasis on the human suffering of Jesus. He is presented to us as the Suffering Servant from Isaiah's Gospel (Isaiah 53) who atones for the sins of the world and redeems it through his suffering. One example of the human suffering of Jesus is the profound psychological suffering we see in the Agony of the Garden. Jesus is gripped by anxiety; yet, he is able to call upon his Abba ("Daddy"), and trustingly commit his life into his Father's hands. This image is a good one for us as this Lent draws to a close. We may not have had the Lent we wanted. But this Holy Week we have the opportunity to choose and live not the Lent we wanted but the Lent our Father, our "Daddy", has given us.