By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
(Is.50:4-7, Ps.21:8-9.17-20.23-24, Phil.2:6-11 & Mk.15:1-39)
Today is Palm Sunday which begins the Holy Week. The Palm Sunday event marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem to accomplish his redemptive mission of saving humanity from eternal damnation through his passion, death, and resurrection. This event and the joyful acclamation of the crowd show Jesus as Messiah and King. When the crowd acclaimed Jesus as the Son of David (Hosanna to the son of David), they allude to his royal credentials, and when they acknowledged him as “He who comes in the name of the Lord”, the Messiah is understood, that is, the one who is promised to Israel.
On this triumphal procession, Jesus chose to ride on a colt, not on horseback as would kings and earthly warlords. His choice of the poor humble animal highlights his humility and justifies his identity as the prince of peace. His humble procession shows the nature of his victory. He is humble yet victorious, gentle and triumphant; teaching us the gallantry of meekness. In him, we see the power of humility. Hence, all the readings this Sunday highlight Jesus’ humble obedience to carry out the will of the Father who sent him into this world for our redemption.
In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah (Is.50:4-7), Jesus is depicted as the Suffering Servant of the Lord whom the Lord wakes up every morning to listen to his word as a disciple, so as to know how he would respond to the weary hearts. This text reminds us that a true prophet is a person of prayer who regularly listens to God in a master-disciple relationship so as to be able to communicate to the people what God really commands. No one can speak God’s word meaningfully to others without first listening prayerfully to the word himself. Jesus is a classic example of this. His life and ministry were filled with constant prayers and solitude (Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; Luke 11:1).
St Paul exhorts us in the second reading to embrace a deeper life of Christian love and unity by making every effort to avoid any form of self-seeking and self-aggrandizing behavior, but rather to be humble and self-effacing. We are to emulate the humility and self-emptying attitude taken by Jesus who, though he was divine yet “humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him…. at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend and every tongue confesses that Jesus is the Lord” (Phil. 2:8-10). Humility is an important mark of discipleship. There are two types of Christian discipleship: those who follow Jesus in their own terms, doing things their own ways, and those who follow Jesus in obedience, striving to follow the teachings of Jesus the way he taught them. Both are separated by subtle pride and humility. While pride marks the first group, the second group is recognizable by their act of humility. Genuine love and humility of heart are indispensable for anyone that really wants to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Today’s Gospel reading comes before the procession with palms and relates to the event of Palm Sunday. Jesus triumphantly went into Jerusalem knowing full well what awaits him there – betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion. His entry into Jerusalem, riding a colt, was a direct fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Zechariah (9:9): “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, and riding on a donkey and upon a colt the foal of a donkey”. The colt was a sign of peace. Jesus enters Jerusalem in meekness and humility, as the Messianic King who offers victory and peace to his people. The crowd threw their cloaks on the road to express their homage to him. But just as we shall see in the Passion narrative, most of these same persons who welcomed Jesus with shouts of joy also joined to demand his crucifixion. Thus, the children of the kingdom are not just those who welcome and praise Jesus every Sunday, but those that maintain their position in times of trial. The cloaks we need to lay down for Jesus are our pride and material objects of glory. When we throw them at his feet, acknowledging our nothingness and acclaiming his Majesty, he will reign in our hearts. We know that Jesus does not reign like the kings of the earth who suppress their subjects. He reigns with love and peace in the spiritual kingdom that knows no geographical boundaries, in the hearts of his faithful.
The long passion narrative takes us on the journey of how Jesus was betrayed and unjustly condemned to death. He humbly and willingly undergoes his passion, carrying his cross to Calvary to embrace his ignoble crucifixion in the hands of human beings who allowed themselves to be instruments of denial, betrayal, false-witness, perverse-judgment, mockery, inhuman torture, and so on. There are many actors in this event: the betrayer (Judas), the accusers (Jewish leaders), the judge (Pontus Pilate), the crowd, the soldiers, Jesus’ disciples, and Jesus himself. We have seen the role each played. It is probably important to reflect on the role we play in the various events and encounters with people around us, and cross-check if any of them corresponds with those played in the Gospel narrative. That could be a mirror to evaluate our actions.
As we commemorate Jesus’ passion and death and reflect on the ignoble act of human wickedness meted to him, we pray for the grace not only to avoid playing such negative roles in our lives but also to work against such measures wherever we find them. May the Lord’s passion and death heal us and strengthen us, so that we may follow Him more obediently in love and to give Him the first place in our lives. May his teaching and values determine and color our daily decisions and choices. Amen.