Reflection
On this Palm Sunday we hear the story of how Jesus entered
Jerusalem on this special day. It was
not just an ordinary visit to the city. Tensions were high. Jesus’ teaching
and miracles had angered Jewish leaders – and Jesus realizes the risk he’s
taking. He is NOT the Messiah, the warrior
and King they have awaited.
No,
Jesus enters riding on a colt – a symbol of how different his values and
mission are from their expectations. The
other readings today describe images of Jesus’ suffering and self-emptying
love. Jesus felt pain from the betrayal
by his own disciples, and then excruciating physical pain, but the story does
not end with Jesus’ death. God raised
him on the third day, on that glorious Easter morning! His pain and death set us free! The Resurrection is the pivotal event of our
faith. We now believe and hope, indeed
we await our own resurrection into the fullness of life in God’s loving
presence.
We also are on a journey, unique for each of us. We
experience love and happiness – yet we also encounter difficulties and
pain. Like Jesus, we cry out to God for
help. Always God’s grace is
enough for us. Our challenge is to stay
close to God, to seek God’s guidance and strength – no matter what the
circumstances of our lives. Indeed,
people around the world are poor, hungry, homeless, treated with hatred, and
violence seems to be everywhere. The earth
itself groans as it struggles to bring forth new life. We share the Paschal Mystery of life, suffering
and death, in our own ways. Then we
share the ultimate freedom and awesome joy of Resurrection – accomplished for
us by the self-emptying Love of Jesus!