Father's Homiliy - Palm Sunday

Brothers and sisters in Christ,
     Today is Palm Sunday and we begin the Holy Week with Palm Sunday. That means that we come once again to the Feast of Palms, when we remember that first Palm Sunday, on which Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, to the shouting of Hosannas from a jubilant crowd. The gospel tells us:" As Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount of olives, He sent two of His disciples to the village opposite, to look for a colt tethered there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it, and if anyone were to ask why you untie it, tell that the master needs it and they will let it go". And everything happens as Jesus told them, which shows that Jesus is the master of the moment. And the disciples put their cloaks on this colt of an ass and Jesus sits on it and enters Jerusalem. He enters Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish world, the home of their Temple, the Sanhedrin and to the territory of the governor of all Judea-Pontius Pilate. A challenging situation altogether. And here we see the jubilation and adulation of the crowds who had seen and heard Jesus, so many times earlier. He had healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, driven out demons, raised the dead to life. The people had a lot to remember and they are happy about Him, because He had blessed their lives, and now they are eagerly waiting for Him to establish the Davidic kingdom. So as they see Him entering the city seated on the colt's back, we can only imagine their enthusiasm. Expectations could not be higher, and they all cry out: "Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" Surely, many of them might have been reminded of that Messianic Prophesy: "Behold, your king is coming into your midst, seated on the colt of an ass". And here is the fulfillment of that prophesy, they might have thought. 
          And on that joyous note of Jesus' solemn entry to the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, let us also begin our solemn but small procession into the sanctuary, praising Our Glorious King and Savior. 


Reflection on passion of the Lord 

    Today as we know is Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. The day begins on a happy note as we find in the first part of the liturgy, where the people greets Jesus with shouts of rejoicing: "Hosanna to the Son of David", is their cry, as they shower praises upon Him, as they would on a victorious king. They spread their cloaks on His path, as well as wave palm branches, expressing their joy.
     But in the second part of the liturgy, in the Passion Narrative, everything changes. Here again, we find the people of Jerusalem greeting Jesus. But instead of the Hosanna greetings, they shout, "crucify him, crucify him", calling for His death. People have changed. The one who was exalted then, stands condemned now. The people who saw Him then as their Savior, now sees Him as a criminal. They failed to see in Him their Messiah He truly was! Their Messiah would surely end the foreign rule, free the people and bring perfect peace. And most importantly, He would do all this, promptly and painlessly. Those who shouted crucify Him, did not realize the necessity of His sacrifice, and therefore, helped in bringing about His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross.
     The Suffering Servant of Isaiah, whom we see in today's first reading, who is the Son of God Himself, could have taken the easy way out, turning away from His Mission of human redemption, and thus avoiding all those abuses at the hands of the ungrateful human beings, we find in the Passion Narrative. As St. Paul points out in the second reading, Christ Jesus could have avoided all those humiliating moments. But He chose to humble Himself, being obedient to the will of His Heavenly Father, to the point of death, as St. Paul says, even death on a cross. And so what is the end result? God greatly exalts Him, and thereby we are redeemed from slavery to sin and eternal death. Therefore, at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend in heaven and on earth. Every tongue, must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. And as St. Mark tells in the Passion Narrative, that is what we find in the words of the roman centurion, who had witnessed to all that had happened at the crucifixion and exclaims: "Truly this man was the Son of God"! And that is the fulfillment of Jesus' own words: "When I am lifted up, I will draw everyone to myself". And therefore bothers and sister, let us pray that He will draw us too to Himself, at the end of our earthly lives.