Palm Sunday, C


"Hosanna!"

Luke 19:28-40 and Luke 22:14-23:56


According to one bible commentary, the people singing "Hosanna" as Jesus enters Jerusalem seems to be a divine impulse that most of them did not understand.  This truly is God's action that nobody can stop, not even the interpreters of the Law.  It even says in Luke 19:28-40,  ‘I tell you, if these keep silence the stones will cry out.’

We have been given opportunities to break out from the rituals of daily activities to give more emphasis to praising and glorifying God.  Our prayers and praises in the Eucharist now consciously and done with passion, give way to the God who saves.  We utter "Hosanna" which means "God saves".  Our call is to do much more and allow God to work in us and respond to serving Him all the more.  Our service to others should also cause them to admit that God is saving them.

In the readings, which are extensions of the Gospel for Palm Sunday, the Messiah shows his true glory - that of a humble servant who in the face of extreme violence remains undefiled; his heart remains pure in its intention to give glory to the Father and embrace humankind in love.

The Eucharist is a direct manifestation of the Lord's love for us.  It demonstrates over and over again the Paschal mystery - the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus; passion in the act of humility in converting bread into His body; death in sharing himself to be eaten by us the recipients; and resurrection in that we are given the mission to proclaim his resurrection after every mass.

We therefore should know the implications of every Eucharist we celebrate - that we enter into our passion through a life of humility; death each day in our willingness to share ourselves to others so they would be saved; and resurrection, in assisting others to live a life of freedom in the Lord.

It is the same work of Jesus now manifested in our lives.

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