Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 13, 2014 - Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion: At the Procession with Palms - ABC
[ and A: Matt 21:1-11B: Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16 C: Luke 19:28-40,74]This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD
[Procession: Matthew 21:1-11; Mass: Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14 - 27:66]
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.'"
Holy Week is a time of tremendous spiritual richness for anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of Jesus and his mission! Palm Sunday is the "opening curtain" to the entire drama. Each Evangelist tells the story in his own way. Since we are in Cycle A, the Gospel of Matthew is the featured story today. [On Good Friday, the passion account from the Gospel of John is always read.] In the background, however, throughout this week, the prophet Isaiah's "Songs of the Suffering Servant" are echoing. They form a kind of backdrop against which the Christian community has interpreted the events of this holy time.
There are many ways to enter the experience. We Catholics are accustomed to "stations" [as in the Stations of the Cross] and "mysteries" [as in the mysteries of the Rosary] and "scenes" [as in stained glass windows - or even in dramas such as 'passion plays.'] With the scriptures in front of us we can construct our own stations, mysteries or scenes using our imagination to enable us to "connect" with what is going on, or with Jesus personally, or with various characters in the story. The background echo, as quoted above, comes from a combination of the prophets Isaiah and Zechariah!
Matthew challenges us to be a part of the crowd, or even one of the disciples who goes to look for the donkey and her colt. Could we spread a cloak or wave a palm branch [more likely today!] and sing "Hosanna to the Son of David!"? Or are we among those who happen to be present for the festival of the Passover and see this procession coming down the narrow street and ask: "Who is this?" Can we shout back, "This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee"? Perhaps we can imagine ourselves as one of the Roman soldiers who were stationed in the city to prevent riots from breaking out in all the crowds. In this case, we may be asking truly, "Who is this?" This question is the central question of Holy Week. Are we willing to ask it? And make the effort to find out by following the events as they unfold right up to the bitter [crucifixion] and glorious [resurrection] end? AMEN