Lenten Reflection - Palm Sunday



About 2000 years ago Jesus was on the back of an ass riding into a town. People cheered and shouted, “Hosanna to the son of David”. They put coats on the ground and then they spread branches on the ground so his feet would not touch the simple earth. This was their way of honoring Jesus, as well as they knew him or knew of him.

Jesus rode in as a leader or ruler because he was of the house of David, that is, of the house of a king. He was praised and honored.

This is our start of Holy Week. We begin knowing who Jesus is most fully. He is our Prince of Peace who came to us to offer us salvation. Holy Week is our time of remembrance. Today the procession of praise. Thursday, we receive the gift of the Eucharist and the modelling of service to others. Friday, we hear the Passion and death of Jesus on the cross. We go from the richness of praise to the suffering on the cross. All in this one week!

Matthew’s story of the Passion says that followers were looking on from a distance including many women. Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were all present. They with the body of Jesus showing their devotion.

How do we make this personal? What lessons do we draw? Does the speed of the events of Holy Week remind us of current events? One day there is peace and the next day there is war. One day we see our waiter in the restaurant and the next she or he is called an immigrant and arrested. We feed people in the food pantries, but it seems like we are seeing more families there.

Two thousand years ago Jesus was honored by people waving and cheering. Perhaps our personal response is to remember what Jesus modeled on Holy Thursday. We can learn to serve others. We can follow the Prince of Peace.

De Colores,

Paul