Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. We gather to recall the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. The crowd cried out in unison to welcome Jesus, the Son of David, “Hosanna in the highest”. We walk with Jesus today.
Just imagine that Jesus was followed by His disciples, and along the road many people who were touched and healed were there as well. Mary was anxious in the final days of her Son’s ministry because she knows of the impending sufferings her Son would ultimately accept. Her pain causes her heart to beat heavily while the crowd continuously cheers loudly in excitement singing Psalms and Hosannas. As Jesus enters, many people put their cloaks and palm branches along the road with much excitement of this spontaneous parade.
Where are you in this picture of our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem? Have you imagined yourself being in the crowd? As I have said from the beginning, “we walk with Jesus today.” We are joining in, and we go along with Jesus where we become present by our faith and are encouraged to pray fervently as we go through this Holy Week.
The epistle today from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians reminds us of how Jesus was able to take the enthusiastic welcome afforded to Him by the people of Jerusalem; however, He knows that the atmosphere will change after a few days because the religious leaders, pharisees and scribes were trying to find fault with Him. St. Paul declares that as followers of Christ we need “Kenosis,” which means emptying oneself. Jesus taught us a significant lesson as He “emptied Himself.” We must seek to understand that Jesus laid aside His divine riches in becoming human through the mystery of the incarnation. Our own success to follow the Lord is to empty ourselves from all our iniquities and set our goal which would be our “kenosis” calling us to emptying ourselves from all distractions.
We know that the Holy Land is closed now for pilgrims. The Israeli government set restrictions to visit the Holy Land because of the continuous pursuit for extremists and terrorists in the area. It is sad that all the roads leading to the Holy Land are blocked, and there is no way for the pilgrims to spend time in prayer. I guess Jesus is asking His followers around the world to come along the way called “Via Dolorosa” in union with His suffering and dying. I imagine the danger of entering Jerusalem this day has been a true passion for the Jewish Christians which is expectedly different from the previous Holy Week. We pray for the immediate end of the war in Israel.
This Holy Week, the recurring theme is “dying and rising.” We see ourselves dying from sins as the right path to knowing and purifying ourselves better. We are deeply invited to see and evaluate ourselves. In the reading of the Lord’s passion from the gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus wants us to bring our own sufferings along His way, the difficulties in our life, and the challenges now, and to foresee our own victory with Him. It is a dying to oneself that we may attain the rising mystery that Jesus leads us.
I believe that Palm Sunday is not just singing “Hosanna” in Jesus’ Passion, for there is also rising in the gospel we heard, one that leads to Easter, to New Life, Resurrection, and victory over death and sin. Glory is our destination we ponder as we bless these palms and as we walk with Jesus today.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa