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Homily for the Palm Sunday -
Year A - Mt. 21:1-11
by
Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen
" When Jesus and his
disciples drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth'phage, to the Mount
of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, «Go
into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass
tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If
any one says anything to you, you shall say, "The Lord has need of
them," and he will send them immediately.» This took place
to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying, "Tell ye the daughter
of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an
ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." (Zech. 9:9)
" The disciples went and
did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the ass and the
colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. Most of
the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches
from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that
went before him and that followed him shouted, «Hosanna to the
Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna
in the highest!»
" And when he entered
Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, «Who is
this?» And the crowds said, «This is the prophet
Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.» "
Homily:
" When Jesus and his
disciples drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of
Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, «Go into
the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied,
and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one
says anything to you, you shall say, "The Lord has need of them," and
he will send them immediately.» "
Today is the triumphal
entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem: the Lord of the Universe is
welcomed by his People, whom he chose in order for his glory to shine
forth throughout the whole world! For, every year without fail,
for nearly twenty centuries, the Church has commemorated this triumphal
welcome given to Jesus by his People; always, at all times, the
Church has made the following words of the Jewish People her own:
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
" This took place to fulfil
what was spoken by the prophet, saying, "Tell ye the daughter of Sion,
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a
colt the foal of an ass." (Zech. 9:9) "
The New Covenant in the
Blood of Christ doesn't abolish the Covenant God had contracted with
his People: the New Covenant brings to fullness the Old Covenant
through which the Lord had begun, in an irrevocable manner, the
Revelation of himself through faith. However, the fullness Christ
brings is also a conclusion and an end. This is why, through the
New Covenant, the observances of the Former Law come to an end:
now the new rite takes their place.
It is in this spirit that
Saint Matthew reminds us that the prophet Zechariah had announced this
triumphal entrance of the Messiah, who comes to his People riding upon
the foal of an ass. Let us read the words of the Prophet:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and
having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the
foal of an ass." (Zech. 9:9)
Jerusalem is the figure of
the celestial city, the City of the Great King, that was seen by Saint
John when he said: "I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband." (Rev. 21:2) Jerusalem represents the Church: the
men and women, all the souls the Lord wants to lead into Heaven,
through his Spirit, in order to make them his spouses for eternity!
" The disciples went and
did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the ass and the
colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. Most of
the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches
from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that
went before him and that followed him shouted, «Hosanna to the
Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!» "
It is truly the spousal
Love of Christ that triumphs on this day of joy! "Tell ye the
daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek..." (Zech.
9:9 in Mt. 21:5) The Lord came to Jerusalem; he will return
in the end times in order to enter, with his Church, the New
Jerusalem! Then, full of tenderness for his elect, Jesus, the Son
of God, will say: "Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Mt.
25:34) It is the Love of God that calls us to follow Christ, in
order to share in his glory and his triumph without end: the Love
of God calls us to love! The Jews, the contemporaries of Jesus,
demonstrated their love by crying: "Hosanna to the son of David!"
Love asks us to respond to
him with love. But this response of love must be constantly
renewed through all the acts of our life: all our actions must be
acts of love of God; at least, our intention must be such.
Otherwise, if we are not careful to awaken this love of God that we
have in us, then one day, when the hour of our trial is at hand, we run
the risk of succumbing: our love, which we should give to the
Creator, would unfortunately be given by us to creatures... Thus,
after Palm Sunday and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem,
comes Good Friday, the day on which many Jews, who had previously
shouted: "Hosanna to the Son of David!", lamentably insulted the
Lord by preferring a thief and a bandit: "Barabbas!" (Jn. 18:40)
Let us be watchful and
pray... Let us wait in faith and with love for the Lord who
comes, "full of tenderness"... Let us celebrate together this
eucharistic celebration with a great faith and with limitless
confidence in he who comes in the Name of the Lord! May Mary help
us to persevere until the end in faith and in love for her divine Son!
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