Palm Sunday is also called Passion Sunday—two different names for the same reality—because this Sunday begins with a festive atmosphere. We remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. For once, Jesus is acclaimed by his people. He is recognized as the new David, the king everyone was waiting for. Of course, his entrance is not like that of a king of the time. His mount is a donkey, which was not exactly the mount of kings. Those who acclaimed him were part of the lowly people. But the priests and the scribes would have beenthinking more about how to get rid of him.
From the festive procession we move on to the Mass, where the readings take us to the death of Jesus and its meaning. Jesus is the one who ‘gives himself up’ to death to fulfill the will of God, his Father, and trusts him totally at the hour of his final surrender, as the prophet Isaiah prophesied in the first reading. Jesus submits to death in order to give his life for us while does not flaunt his status as God. And it is through this surrender that he will become a sign of salvation for all.
We are standing at the great portico of the Holy Week. From here we will walk into the greatest triumph of Jesus—the moment of his death. What we see as the greatest pain, the greatest absurdity, is the opportunity for God to proclaim his love for all people in the most solemn way possible. We no longer differentiate which part is more triumphant: whether it is his entry on a donkey to Jerusalem while some poor people shout and wave olive branches, or it is the moment of the Cross, abandoned even by his own. He signs with his own blood the new treaty with the humanity—that all his life he wanted to establish his Father’s kingdom, and he wanted to be a living testimony of his love for men and women. His self-giving ensures that we all have life and life in abundance.
Only one question remains: Where are we in this moment of salvation history? Jesus is giving himself for each one of us. Whether seated on the donkey or hanging on the cross, we find the same thing: his eyes intently follow us. He tells us that he gives everything so that we can be happy, so that we can live, so that we can love each other. During this week, if we know how to stay close to Jesus, it is not necessary to say many words. In the silence of your heart stay close to him. Simply, letting the depth of his love, of his self-giving, reach our hearts so that we may have life and life in abundance.
For your reflection
Your job requirements may keep you tied up all the while, but would you find some time to walk with Jesus, just watching him in the pains and tears of people around?
Father Fernando Torres CMF
www.ciudadredonda.org
Translated by Father Alberto Rossa CMF
