Today is Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord and it involves two Gospel readings. When I added up the verses, I came up with one hundred thirty eight total verses from the Gospel of St. Matthew. I chose to focus on three verses. Matthew 27:51-53:

And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

This idea that the earth quaked and tombs were opened only appears in the Gospel of Matthew. The raising of people who had fallen asleep is not mentioned by the other gospel writers. Yet this is so important that is included in our creed. We profess that we believe in the resurrection of the dead and life eternal.

This is the good news that helps us keep it real. The author of Matthew’s Gospel is giving us our greatest hopes and dreams. He writes that good people will be pulled from their graves and have eternal life. This is our faith, the belief that our friends, spouses, siblings, children, or parents and grandparents who have passed away will be saints in heaven. It is the hope that sustains all followers of Christ…that each will attain Salvation.

This passage from Matthew’s gospel speaks of the many saints who were raised. The rest of these two gospels most often refers to groups of people and rarely an individual in isolation. There are many collective actions. Salvation requires personal work but also communal effort. This is seen throughout the Gospels today.

Jesus sent two disciples to bring the ass for him to ride upon in the first gospel. The large crowd spread their clothes and they shouted Hosanna. The second gospel has similar group activities. Jesus sent his disciples to find a room. He reclined at the table with the twelve, they went out to the Mount of Olives, Jesus took Peter and the sons of Zebedee with him to pray in the garden. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were at the foot of the cross and later remained at the tomb where Jesus was buried. And these are just a few of the examples of the communal nature of the salvation event.

The Saints were pulled from their graves… This is collective salvation. All people are part of salvation history. Keeping it real mean staying connected to the saints through memory and prayer. Some of these connections are to our loved ones who passed away.

Keeping it real also means staying connected to the living saints. This is done through piety, study, and action. Staying connected involves gathering in small groups. It can include staying after mass socializing with friends (saints). Serving others is staying connected with our community. Keeping it real always centers around praying with other saints.

De Colores,

Paul Kudrav