Gospel Reflection Mar 29 – Fr. Fox
Sunday, March 29
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
Matthew 21:1-11
Gospel:
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,
“Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately you will find an ass tethered,
and a colt with her.
Untie them and bring them here to me.
And if anyone should say anything to you, reply,
‘The master has need of them.’
Then he will send them at once.”
This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Say to daughter Zion,
“Behold, your king comes to you,
meek and riding on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.
They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them,
and he sat upon them.
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.”
And when he entered Jerusalem
the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?”
And the crowds replied,
“This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Gospel Reflection:
There are two gospel readings for Palm Sunday. We will reflect today on the first gospel, which specifically references the celebration we are observing. It is here that Jesus is entering the city of Jerusalem. It is here that Jesus is being hailed with the word “Hosanna.”
The word Hosanna comes from a Hebrew expression that literally means “Lord save us” or “Save us, we pray.” In its original usage, “Hosanna” was a cry of petition – a desperate, urgent plea to God for salvation and deliverance. Over time, it evolved in Jewish liturgical tradition into a shout of praise and jubilation, used especially during celebrations. Its most profound moment in Scripture comes out today, Palm Sunday, when the crowds are ecstatically welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem.
It is here that the word becomes wrought with meaning. The Israelites are actually proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, born from the lineage of David, the greatest Jewish King, whom God promised to bestow an everlasting kingdom. Jesus is the last of this royal line and fulfills the covenant made to David over a thousand years earlier. After a millennium of waiting, the long-awaited Messiah is now entering the Holy City to begin His reign! Unknown to the Israelites, however, was that the everlasting kingdom God promised was far superior to the earthly one they had in mind.
We must remember that this world we live in now is a world of corruption. Nothing in this created reality will last forever. When God promised David an everlasting kingdom and our world is finite, how could God’s promise remain true? The kingdom God had in mind was the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven remained closed to sinful man until at last God himself came to shepherd His people. God, Himself, would lay down His life for His sheep and through the sacrifice of the cross would make our existence eternal by paying the price of our sins.
The price of all sin is death, but death has no power over Jesus Christ because Jesus is sinless, yet because of His innocence, He became the bearer of our punishment. During our liturgy, “Hosanna” is proclaimed during the Sanctus at every Mass. This connects every Mass directly to Palm Sunday and the sacrifice Christ was willing to undertake by entering the city. This entry will lead Him directly to His Passion, death, and Resurrection.
Every time we sing or say the word Hosanna, we are joining the crowd on that road to Jerusalem, acknowledging Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and King. So, at every Mass you attend and when we come to this acclamation, remember Palm Sunday, remember the road Jesus chose to take for each of us, remember to acclaim with a fervent voice that Jesus Christ is your Messiah; God’s anointed who washes away your sins in His own blood.
Father Fox