Palm Sunday 2021

 

Homily for Palm Sunday

March 28, 2021

Can’t Cancel Jesus

 

            One of the stranger things about the last couple years has been the rise of “Cancel Culture”. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a cycle that we see with regularity: someone says something controversial, whether about racism or LGBT rights or patriotism or anything that isn’t “woke” or goes against the mainstream narrative. Then, a social media mob begins attacking that person on Twitter and in the New York Times, demanding that they be “cancelled” – removed from social media, fired from their job, their books removed from Amazon.com. The world capitulates to this mob, removing the “offender” and anything that they’ve ever written, said, or done.

            Cancel culture seeks to squelch free speech – anything that goes against the mainstream narrative cannot be said out-loud, or people risk their careers and reputations. We’ve seen Dr. Suess get cancelled, a Disney actress lose her popular role on a TV show, and the San Francisco school district recently tried to re-name 42 schools, reasoning that naming a school after George Washington and Abraham Lincoln wasn’t “culturally sensitive” enough.

            And as we shake our heads in disbelief at the madness, we have to realize that “cancel culture” has been around long before 2020. In fact, it was an early form of “cancel culture” that led to the crucifixion of a Man who dared to preach the Truth.

            Why was Jesus crucified, ultimately? It was an attempt to silence Him. The “elite” of His day didn’t like what He was saying – He was rocking the boat by claiming to be the Son of God. He was shaking up the “status quo” by calling us to repentance and conversion. So, the mob attempted to silence Him and destroy His message…by destroying the Lord.

            But we know the end of this story. First-century “cancel culture” couldn’t keep Jesus silent – three days later, He rose – and two thousand years later, His Words live on in the Scriptures and in the Church.

            So what are our takeaways from this?

            First, pay no attention to public opinion – it is as fickle as the wind. On Palm Sunday, the crowds chanted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Five days later, the same crowd cried out, “Crucify Him!” Public opinion, the mainstream media, the popular narrative – pay no attention to these, as they come and go. Rather, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, Who never changes.

            Second, never forget that Truth can never be cancelled. It often seems as if the world, the media, the opinions of family members and friends are still trying to “cancel” or marginalize or silence Jesus and His Words in the Scriptures and the Church’s teachings. But as much as people try to cancel Jesus, He refused to be cancelled. He rose from the dead – His teachings conquered the world – and in the end, He will win the final victory. So build your life on the one thing that will be around to the end: Jesus and His Words, in Scripture and the Church.

            Yes, they tried to cancel Jesus in His day. Many are still trying to cancel Him now. But we know the end of the story. Truth and Love can never be cancelled.