Homily of Palm Sunday Year A 2020
Today is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent and it is called
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. It commemorates the triumphal entry of
Jesus into Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. Palm Sunday marks the
beginning of Holy Week. The Passion narrative from the Gospel of Matthew
invites us to participate in the passion journey of Jesus Christ.
Almost all Jewish prophets had prophesied the coming of the
messiah who was to redeem Israel from her oppressors. At the time of Jesus,
Israel was governed by the Romans. Jesus’ disciples were convinced that Jesus
was a political messiah who would lead a rebellion against the Roman colonial
rule and drive out the Romans. On arriving in Jerusalem to celebrate the
Passover, he was given a rousing and heroic welcome: “The very large crowd
spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and
strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept
crying out and saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest’” (Matthew
21:8-9). I don’t think that the people would have given Jesus the rousing
and heroic welcome if they knew he was not a political messiah. A few days
later, the same crowd shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” I guess that the
people were frustrated and disappointed that Jesus did not fulfill their
expectation. If Jesus had overthrown the Roman leadership, everyone would have
stood behind him. He would not have been crucified. Do we do as the Jews and the
crowd did? We get very disappointed, and frustrated, and upset when our
expectations are not met. Then, we become aggressive and destructive.
As we read in the Gospel, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a
colt (a young donkey). Jesus chose to enter into Jerusalem on a donkey instead
of a horse. He identified himself with a donkey which is a beast of burden,
thereby fulfilling Isaiah 53:54, “He took up our pain and bore our suffering.”
Like the donkey, Jesus carries our pains and sufferings.
During Jesus’ time, horse was the means of transportation
for the rich, the high and the mighty, while the donkey was the means of
transportation for the poor. By riding on a donkey, Jesus identified himself
with the poor and the lowly. Jesus teaches us to do the same. He wants us to
identify with the burdened, the needy, the sick and the suffering. And by
riding on a donkey, Jesus teaches us the importance of detachment and humility.
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, “Learn from me for I am gentle and humble in
heart.”
What do the palm leaves symbolize?
In some cultures, in times of crisis or misunderstanding,
carrying or presenting of palm leaves is a symbol or a gesture of peace and
reconciliation. Therefore, the palm leaves symbolize Jesus as the King of
Peace. We are, therefore, invited to peace and reconciliation with one another.
Blessed palm is not to be thrown around or discarded as trash. It is kept
reverently until next year when it is returned to the church to be burned and
the ash is put on our forehead on Ash Wednesday.
In some cultures, palm leaves symbolize goodness and
victory. Jesus the Good Shepherd came to bring victory over evil. In Hebrew,
‘hosanna’ means, ‘save us now.’ We pray to God to ‘save us now’ from the Covid
19 Pandemic.
In some cultures, palm leaves symbolize eternal life. Jesus
is the way to eternal life. Jesus says, “And just as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that
everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
As we can see, Jesus represents all that is good in all
cultures.
Today’s celebration becomes even more meaningful if Jesus
makes a triumphal entry into our lives, grant us peace, victory over evil,
salvation and eternal life. Let our sins not stop Jesus’ entry into our lives.
Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with
me” (Revelations 3:20).
Lastly, St. Andrew of Crete writes, “Let us imitate those
who have gone out to meet him, not scattering olive branches or garments or
palms in his path, but spreading ourselves before him as best as we can with
humility of soul and upright purpose … It is ourselves that we must spread
under Christ’s feet…”
Fr. Martin Eke, MSP
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