Hosanna to the Son of David!

04-02-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

We celebrate on this day, the triumphant and Messianic entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, an event that ushers us into the Holiest Week of the year during which we shall celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. There are two Gospel Readings on Passion Sunday. The First, which is read outside the Church building before the procession, tells the story of the triumphant entrance of the Messiah into Jerusalem.

In humility, alluding to the kind of Messiah He was going into Jerusalem to be, Jesus preferred to ride on an ass rather than the conventional horse that was the standard means of transportation for Kings and warriors at that time. St. Matt hew recounts that His Disciples honored Him by spreading cloaks and branches from trees for Him to ride on, while acknowledging Him as the Son of David, the One who comes in the name of the Lord. In our time, Jesus desires an entrance into our hearts and lives (Revelations 3:20).

We should honor Him by simply letting Him in. This Gospel passage reminds us to spread out the branches of good works and kindness, the products of our Lenten observance, as a most suitable way of welcoming Christ. However, recall that the same Disciples who honored Christ on Passion Sunday betrayed and deserted Him on Good Friday. The animated crowd of praise singers who chanted “Hosanna to the Son of David” were probably the same crowd which viciously screamed “Away with Him, Crucify Him.” Like our forebears, sometimes we are seasonal or occasional friends of Jesus, uncompromising believers when there is no challenging circumstance, but we deny Jesus as soon as it becomes inconvenient to remain witnesses. We should resolve to remain true Disciples even in the face of persecution and hardship.

Following a solemn procession, the ceremonies of Passion Sunday continue with another set of Readings from Holy Scripture. The First Reading presents the willingness of God’s true servant to accept suffering without complaint, knowing that God is His help and He will not fail Him. In the Second Reading, St. Paul identifies Christ as the Suffering Servant who, though was in the form of God, emptied Himself to become man and suffered a shameful death on the Cross in obedience to God’s will in order to reconcile humanity to God.

The Gospel passage is a lengthy Passion narrative according to St. Matt hew. Here Matt hew presents a relatively detailed account of how Jesus instituted: the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders, prepared His Disciples and Himself for His ultimate redemptive work, was betrayed, judged and condemned to death, and how he died on the Cross to save us. At His judgment, His people chose to have Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, freed from prison and to have Jesus who had come to set them free, condemned to death. We are often confronted with similar situations when we choose the seductive and immediate benefits of evil, often because of “political correctness,” instead of sticking with what is good, true and just.

May we reflect more deeply on what Jesus suffered in our stead so that we can be redeemed from the debt of sin, and may we live our lives as living acts of gratitude for His redemptive sacrifice.

Please be kind and may God bless you.

Fr. Manasseh