Passion / Palm Sunday 2007
Passion / Palm Sunday
Cesar Chavez Day, March 31
Lectionary Texts: Luke 19:28-40 (Palms); Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (Palms);
Isaiah 50:4-9a (Passion); Psalm 31:9-16 (Passion); Philippians 2:5-11;
Luke 22:14-23:56.
It is the Lenten journey itself that inspires the shape of the bread for this Palm / Passion Sunday; it is a large and un-lovely footprint. In the centuries since Jesus first walked the inexorable path to Jerusalem, followers of Christ's way have struggled to determine what it means to follow in his footsteps. We resist. The requirements are costly. To surrender human will to obey Love's commandment was difficult two thousand years ago. Letting go of our fears, as well as our security blankets, is no less difficult in 2007. But the way is clear.
The imprint of Christ's footsteps is deep, but sometimes we get lost because we cast our eyes downward, looking for where the next footstep will lead. In order to "see" the way, we must keep our heads up, our eyes wide open to the kin-dom all around us. With a kind of "global" vision, it is possible to see everything clearly: our immediate surroundings, the destination ahead, and the path that Jesus has set before us. All around is the LOVE that sustains, something not seen with our eyes alone.
On this particular Palm / Passion Sunday, it is important to recognize the life path of a modern saint on the anniversary of his birth, March 31. Cesar Chavez was a man of humble origins who dedicated his existence to the nonviolent struggle for justice for farm workers. On this occasion, I think of the feet of the farm workers in the fields; the feet of the picketers outside markets during the grape boycotts; the feet of marchers who peacefully demonstrated in the streets; and the feet of the precinct workers who encouraged people to participate in the democratic process. On this Palm/ Passion Sunday, it is appropriate to recall one of the most often quoted statements attributed to Cesar Chavez: "When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of (wo)men we are." Cesar Chavez recognized there was never a time when it would be acceptable to rest upon past accomplishments. The path of faith was always ahead. Cesar Chavez never relented. His footsteps are an inspiration.
Looking at the image of the footprint-shaped bread, I would not be enticed to eat it...let alone to want to bake it. Imagery aside, the recipe for this bread is delicious. It is a variation on the instructions for Hot Cross Buns from Celebration Breads: Recipes, Tales, and Traditions by Betsy Oppenneer. Out of respect for Ms. Oppenneer (and for any who may read this blog), I will give the recipe precisely as it is written in the book, but I will put my variations in parentheses. The method will be hers, not mine, down to the instructions for the shaping of the bread. The shaping and baking will depart from Ms. Oppenneer's recipe for the buns.
1 scant tablespoon or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 110-degrees F)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed [organic cane sugar]
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
[2 cups white whole wheat flour and
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour]
1 cup currents [omitted]
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel [orange peel]
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast in the water to soften. Heat the milk to 110-degrees F and add it to the yeast along with the butter, brown sugar, and eggs. Whisk the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and 2 cups of the flour together and add it to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Add the currants and lemon zest and stir to combine. Gradually add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
Deflate the dough and place it on a well-greased baking sheet. Shape the dough into an elongated, triangular shape. Use kitchen shears to make 4 cuts in the side opposite the narrowist angle, creating five "toes." 
Let the shaped dough rise in a warm location, away from drafts, for another 45 - 60 minutes. (I usually let the dough rise in the oven. An oven with a pilot light is just the right environment for the rising bread dough.)
Bake at 375-degrees for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
The bread tastes so much better than it looks! And the Hot Cross Buns made with this recipe are outstanding, especially because of the currants and the citrus-flavored frosting piped in cross-shape on top of the buns. The buns made from this Betsy Oppenneer recipe are better than any others I've eaten. The Celebration Breads book is an inspiring resource.
Though it has nothing to do with the Lenten journey, there has been another inspiration for making a footprint-shaped bread. In our front yard, there is a huge, barren footprint at the end of the left leg of a larger-than-life sculpture of a "fallen woman." Actually, the barren area is a heel and ankle print because the woman is much too large to "stand" flat on her feet. This public art piece has been at home in our front yard for several years since our daughter-in-law created it. Surrounded by grass and dry leaves, the institutional-green figure has been an object of curiosity and humor (as well as derision) since the day she was installed. But one morning, the left foot was gone. My first thought was to realize that she was an amputee, a casualty of having lived boldly for art's sake, without the protection of locked gates or high walls. I felt violated. But I instantly imagined how terrifying it must be for soldiers in Iraq to have limbs disappear in a violent burst of some well-concealed explosive device. We have not lost hope that whomever removed the huge green foot from our yard will one day restore the integrity of the fallen woman. And we do not cease to pray on behalf of the soldiers--and the civilians--in Iraq. May there be no more lost limbs. May there be no more casualties....
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