Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

1. Lectio

“When he entered Jerusalem,
the whole city was shaken.”

Not stirred.
Not mildly intrigued.

Shaken—
as by an earthquake beneath the ordinary.

And later, in the shadow of betrayal,
Christ says something even more unsettling:

“This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken.”

Peter, with admirable confidence and predictable error, replies:

“Mine will never be.”

And by morning,
his certainty has crumbled
at the sound of a rooster.

2. Meditatio

There have been moments in my life
when the ground did not merely tremble—
it gave way.

I have been shaken.

Shaken by scandal,
by betrayal cloaked in vestments.

Shaken by words that refused repentance,
even when repentance was the only thing left to say.

Shaken by the death of my son—
Daniel—
a husband, a father,
taken at thirty-four,
leaving behind a silence
that still echoes.

Shaken, too,
by decisions within the Church
that seem less like shepherding
and more like hesitation.

Moments that made me wonder—
not quietly, but loudly—
whether it would be easier
to walk away.

To deny not Christ Himself,
but Christ as found in His Church.

And yet—
somewhere in the noise of that shaking,
I heard it.

A sound so small
it could be missed:

the cock crowing.

Not a condemnation—
but a summons.

A reminder
that faith is not proven
by never being shaken—

but by what I do
when I am.

And I find myself, strangely,
grateful.

For the shaking did not destroy my faith.

It exposed it.
And, by grace,
resurrected it.

3. Contemplatio (Chestertonian Synthesis)

Chesterton might say that the problem is not that the world is shaken,
but that we expect it not to be.

We build our faith on the illusion of stability—
as though God were most present
when nothing moves.

But Scripture suggests the opposite.

Cities shake.
Temples shake.
Hearts shake.

Even the earth itself trembles
at the death of God.

The great paradox is this:

What is shaken
reveals what cannot be shaken.

Peter’s confidence collapses—
but his love remains.

The Church falters—
but Christ endures.

And faith, like a house tested by storm,
is not proven by calm weather,
but by surviving the storm.

Perhaps the shaking is not the end of faith—
but its beginning.

4. Oratio

5. Actio — In Light of Laudato Si’ and Synodality

It follows that “the deterioration of nature is closely connected to the culture which shapes human coexistence”.[11]

Laudato si’ §6

Crises—personal and communal—
are not obstacles to communion,
but invitations into deeper solidarity.

Today, I will:

• Remain present to the Church even when I am troubled by it.
• Listen with humility to others who have been shaken in their faith.
• Walk synodally—recognizing that we journey together, not as the unshaken, but as the sustained.

For communion is not the absence of crisis—
but the decision to remain together through it.

6. Song Pairing 🎵

🎶 “I’m All Shook Up” – Elvis Presley🎵

7. Movie Pairing 🎬

🎬Movie: “Dante’s Peak” (1997)

My Story

• Bishop Matthiesen, who rode the white horse of public activism even as he brought abusive priests into our diocese such as John Salazar—wounds that still mark us today. I spoke with him often, pleading with him to reconsider his “no regrets” about bringing those priests here…
• Bishop Yanta, who sought to enforce the Dallas Charter even when Bishop Matthiesen resisted him, and who bore the personal and pastoral cost of doing so. I met with Bishop Yanta about Bishop Matthiessen’s “no regrets” stance. He listened. He believed me. He acted where he could. And when he retired, he urged me—quietly but firmly—to keep speaking out.
• Bishop Zurek, who told the Diocese of Amarillo he had “no facts” about the Philadelphia report even as Amarillo’s connection to that tragedy was headline news. When I continued to speak out, as Bishop Yanta had once urged me to do, he later wrote that I was not among the faithful and loyal disciples whom the Lord Jesus desires.
• Bishop Daniel Cardinal DiNardo…

While we recognize your thoughtful suggestion for a renewed dialogue on Bishop Matthiesen, the present circumstances do not present an opportunity for it. I think it would foster division not dialogue. We remain confident in God’s providence and hopeful for what the future may bring.

from a letter dated March 5, 2026