By Pieter Niemeyer
During this time, the Lenten story offers profound wisdom about how God calls us to follow the path of descent. Palm Sunday is a form of street theatre that critiques and upends the ways and means of the empire by leading this journey of descent. Jesus riding on a donkey rather than a powerful horse reveals the humble presence of God.
The lectionary reading from Philippians 2:6-11 is an ancient Christian hymn that captures the gospel lesson we need to remember in our time. Too many Christians are captivated by the power of the modern-day empire. However, this hymn reminds us that Jesus "did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped but emptied himself . . . humbled himself . . . to the point of death—even death on a cross." The path of the gospel embraces humility (foot washing), solidarity, and the responsible sharing of resources (the parable of the Good Samaritan), which leads to life. In contrast, the path of the empire exalts power, extorts resources, and threatens death. This is the wisdom of the gospel.
Canadian Jesuits International seeks to embody these Gospel teachings by partnering with organizations like the Indigenous Solidarity and Apostolate Network (Red Solidaridad y Apostolado Indígena or RSAI). RSAI strengthens the leadership of Indigenous women defending their ancestral territories in Latin America against powerful imperial forces. Indigenous leaders like Jeannette Curinao Alcavil encounter the humble path of Jesus through community advocacy and networking with the "least of these." They face death threats from extractive industries backed by the empire, yet they draw from a deep spirituality that encourages them to "stand firm against death that tries to rob," in the words of Alcavil. Alcavil continues, "We suffer, yes, but we also sing, laugh, dance, create, and sow together in harmony with Mother Earth. We are in solidarity with others like Jesuit partners who have chosen to walk with us, even at the risk of their own lives. They have not fled the violence that threatens us." Together, Indigenous and Jesuit peoples are in solidarity with Jesus and his path of descent.
Life emerges from this path of descent. Alcavil therefore looks to the future with deep-rooted faith, trusting that peace and justice will embrace each other when the Gospel of Jesus is incarnated in Abya Yala (Mother Earth). In solidarity with Jesus, the CJI partners of RSAI embrace this path and sing the ancient hymn of descent, recognizing that true power lies in humility and in giving ourselves for the sake of life, not death.
Pieter Niemeyer works part-time at Canadian Jesuits International to support its Canadian outreach work. He was CJI’s Outreach Coordinator from 2018 to 2025.
