By Anne Doutriaux, France Programs Coordinator
This Sunday’s Gospel is full of chaos and confusion. Jesus is betrayed, handed over, condemned, humiliated. . . People hurl insults, mock, and judge; money changes hands, only to be rejected in the end because it is the price of blood. Whether he speaks or remains silent, no one understands Jesus. His attitude raises questions and invites each person to reflect. “Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asks. “You say so,” Jesus replies. He, who was hailed as king upon entering Jerusalem, carries a message—that of a Kingdom not of this world—a message that no one hears and that challenges all powers.
Something is at stake for each of the characters: the priests, the scribes, Pilate. . . But that’s not all. There is also a society: people who hold power and who are determined not to lose it to this king.
An Infinite Love That Transforms the World
When I look at the suffering of creation, the suffering of men and women affected by the ecological and social crisis, and the suffering of all those who speak out against injustice, I think of Christ in his Passion. He is at their side, in their midst. He suffers with them, with us.
All this hatred and division can only lead to death.
But that’s not the end of the story. By giving his life on the cross, Jesus opens the door to something else: to eternal life.
In our world, which is all too often filled with hatred and division, we have a path to follow in his footsteps. By giving his life, Jesus shows us the way: the way of love, an infinite love that transforms. It is a path that leads to eternal life. And it begins in the heart.
Dilexit nos describes it:
It is only by starting from the heart that our communities will succeed in uniting and reconciling differing minds and wills, so that the Spirit can guide us in unity as brothers and sisters. Reconciliation and peace are also born of the heart. The heart of Christ is “ecstasy”, openness, gift and encounter. In that heart, we learn to relate to one another in wholesome and happy ways, and to build up in this world God’s kingdom of love and justice. (DN 28)
It is by returning to the heart that we can unite and overcome our divisions. We can act together, challenge all structures of sin, and make a real contribution to building the Kingdom of love and justice in the midst of our world. Let’s start today.
Even If We’re Told It’s Impossible
“It’s impossible to change”—that’s an argument I often hear. Especially when it comes to the economic system. We need to be realistic, aim for what’s achievable, and above all, not question the logic of maximizing profit, since there’s nothing else to hope for.
I often find myself repeating, along with Laudato Si’: “Things can change.” (LS 13) An ecological economy is possible, as this week’s Laudato Si’ goal reminds us: an economy that recognizes that the economy is a subsystem of human society, integrated into our common home.
There are so many signs of this change today. So many voices are speaking out.
I think of Bishop Alminaza of the Philippines, who came to Paris last year to confront the major banks at their annual general meeting. “I am here to tell them: you rejoice in your profits, but have you considered the cost of those profits?” He was speaking about the impact of fossil fuel extraction projects on the marine biodiversity of the coasts in his diocese and on the lives of the fishermen who depend on it. He is one of those voices speaking out, calling for us to move beyond the logic of the pursuit of economic profit in order to build something else.
I’m thinking of those 62 religious institutions that decided last year that their funds would no longer finance fossil fuel extraction projects and that announced this publicly during the COP 30 climate summit.
I think of all those people who are taking action by writing to their banks to ask whether their money is funding extraction projects, and by showing solidarity with the people affected by these projects—whether on the other side of the world or right here in our own communities.
They agreed to open their hearts and let themselves be moved by the suffering of the world. And they decided to make a commitment right where they are. What they carry, and the way they carry it, give the world a taste of the Kingdom.
Their example invites each of us to reflect: How might my choices, united with Christ’s self-giving love, help build a society rooted in care, justice, and peace with creation and one another?