God exalts and reveals the real Christ

April 13, 2003 -- Palm Sunday

	Fr. Richard Ver Bust

We have come to the climax of our Lenten Season as we enter Holy Week. Today we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. We have a multiplicity of readings that help us reflect on what this means. Let's focus on just one in the hope that it will capture some of the meaning of this great day.

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Very early in the life of the church, someone composed a hymn which expressed the beliefs of the church community about when Christ had suffered and died. It, of course, was done in the light of the resurrection of Christ which followed. Those who became Christians tried to find meaning in the events. We might call it the beginning of the theology of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Yet it also was at the heart of the faith of these first Christians.

Paul incorporated this song into one of his letters so that it has been preserved for us. Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians sometime between 59 and 63 A.D., before the Gospels were written. The letter beautifully expresses Paul's insights into what the message of Christianity was about. He incorporated a hymn which is even older in which he writes about the salvation that God has brought about through Christ. He also applied it to the life of Christians.

There are two parts to the hymn. The first part tells us about the role of Christ. The second part emphasizes the role of God. We hear first about Christ's humiliation and then about his exaltation.

We begin by singing about Christ's refusal to be like Adam. We catch the allusion when we realize that the story of Adam tells us that he was created in the image of God. Then we hear that in rejecting the commands of God he sought to be like God. Our hymn tells us that Christ who was human like Adam sought to obey God instead. This comparison is one that Paul made on his own in preaching and writing about the contrast between Adam and Christ.

Instead of trying to become like God, Christ lived his human life in complete obedience to God. He was humble and recognized that before God he was like a slave. He was obedient to God's commands and will, and sought to fulfill his ministry by seeking what God's will was for him. This led to his acceptance of death even a terrible death on a cross. He gave up his life for what he believed God had called him to do.

Because of his total obedience even to dying upon a cross, the second half of the hymn tells us how God rewarded him. God exalted him and revealed who Christ really was. He was not only raised from the dead but he was exalted by God to such a state that all creation paid him homage. Using the ancient idea that there were three levels in the universe, heaven, earth, and under the earth, the song says that all creation would pay Christ homage. This will lead all to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord which is God's own name. This profession of faith helps us realize what God has done for us.

In today's liturgy this reading helps us understand more deeply who Christ is and what he did. Paul though, in using the hymn, wanted the Philippian Christians to understand that they should make it the basis of their faith life. Paul tells them and us "Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus."

(Fr. Ver Bust holds the title of professor emeritus in religious studies at St. Norbert College, De Pere.)