Palm Sunday, the entrance to Holy Week, in which we stand with the exultant crowds welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem, acknowledging Christ as our king. Benedict XVI offers this reflection:
Let us return to today’s Gospel passage and ask ourselves: what is really happening in the hearts of those who acclaim Christ as King of Israel? Clearly, they had their own idea of the Messiah, an idea of how the long-awaited King promised by the prophets should act. Not by chance, a few days later, instead of acclaiming Jesus, the Jerusalem crowd will cry out to Pilate: “Crucify him!”, while the disciples, together with others who had seen him and listened to him, will be struck dumb and will disperse. The majority, in fact, was disappointed by the way Jesus chose to present himself as Messiah and King of Israel. This is the heart of today’s feast, for us too. Who is Jesus of Nazareth for us? What idea do we have of the Messiah, what idea do we have of God? It is a crucial question, one we cannot avoid, not least because during this very week we are called to follow our King who chooses the Cross as his throne. We are called to follow a Messiah who promises us, not a facile earthly happiness, but the happiness of heaven, divine beatitude. So we must ask ourselves: what are our true expectations? What are our deepest desires, with which we have come here today to celebrate Palm Sunday and to begin our celebration of Holy Week?
Serious questions, which today's feast and the week ahead invite us to answer. Who or what is most important to us, who do we really worship, what's our God? The Father's only begotten Son who died for us and rose again that we in Him might live or some other thing. Choose wisely dear friends, divine beatitude, eternal life itself hangs on the choice.
May God give us the grace to follow Christ as our true King, yes, to the Cross, but from there to new and resurrected life in Him.
Bless you all,
LSP
