REFLECTION AT THE BOTTOM
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.”This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Say to daughter Zion,
“Behold, your king comes to you,
meek and riding on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road.
The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”
And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?”
And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Guess what! It's Holy Week! That seems so crazy. I LOVE Holy Week! I love being at church almost every day of the week for the Chrism Mass, the Mass on Holy Thursday, the service on Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and finally on Easter morning! It's all so amazing and really makes you step out of everyday life and spend some time with the Lord, of course, this Lent we've been forced to do that more than we normally are, and for most of us, all of the special masses and services will be held in our living rooms. But that doesn't mean that this holy week can't be the very best we've ever had. Being isolated in our homes gives us more time to reflect on scripture, pray the Stations of the cross, and spend time with God as his son prepares for his death on the cross. Let's not abandon Christ just because we can't physically receive Him or be with Him in the Blessed Sacrament.
Today's Processional Gospel tells a great story of people who turned their backs on Christ. The citizens of Jerusalem praised Jesus and believed he was the Son of God- the savior that they'd waited for for thousands of years, but yet just a few days later they had him tortured and nailed to a cross. When we turn our back on Christ and put our own comfort before Him, we are no better than those citizens of Jerusalem. Think about where you are in this crowd of people. Are you with those who stay by Jesus' side and help him in His time of need such as Veronica and John, or are we with those who shouted for Him to be crucified? If you step back and think about it, you will definitely find the answer.
The people that threw down their cloaks and waved palms as Jesus rode by on a donkey, just as he had when he was in his mother's womb 33 years before, praised him without fear of how they would be persecuted if it was discovered that they were giving this man praise. They worshipped with total abandon and wonderment. Their King, their savior, was before them! The one who God had sent was right there in front of them. And he loved them. He loved them even though he knew that these same people who were praising him would have him put to death in just a few days. Jesus knew what was going to happen, and yet, he didn't tell them to leave Him or call them hypocrites. You see, Christ knows that we are going to sin and we are going to fail him. Yet, He still loves us, just as he loved those people of Jerusalem so long ago. They praised Christ with their whole hearts, which is what we should try to do each and every day of our lives.
May God bless you and all those that you love on this blessed Palm Sunday. Keep an eye out for more Holy Week posts coming soon :-)
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