On Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we are confronted with the poignant contrast between Luke’s account of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the harrowing Gospel of the Passion that begin Holy Week.
As we read in the Luke’s account, like countless other pilgrims, Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem by way of Bethany and Bethphage. He sends his disciples to prepare for his entry into Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley from the western slope of the Mount of Olives. The crowds greet Him as king, a detail exclusive to Luke, and the proclamation of “Peace on Heaven” echoes the announcement of the angels at the birth of Jesus (Lk 2:14). He rides a colt, a young donkey, and enters in humility and in peace, pointing to what His Kingdom actually entails and fulfilling the words of Zechariah 500 years before, “A just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass” (Zec 9:9-10).
In a grim foreshadowing of the Passion to come, we see the Pharisees calling on Jesus to rebuke his followers. They now begin to plot His death, and the great drama of Holy Week unfolds.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) preached, “How different the cries are that now are calling him ‘King of Israel’ and then in a few days’ time will be saying, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ What a contrast between the green branches and the cross, between the flowers and the thorns!”
Bernard’s point is for all of us. Are we like the crowds in Jerusalem? Do we proclaim Him our King on Sunday and by the end of the week deny Him in our thoughts, our actions, and our own fear to live the Christian witness in our families, with our friends, and in the world?
An important question as we head into Holy Week.
—
Dr. Matthew Bunson is Senior Correspondent for Our Sunday Visitor and a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He is the author or co-author of over forty-five books, as well as editor, lecturer, and expert on Church history, the papacy, and Catholic culture. He serves as a special consultant for many Catholic and secular TV and radio programs. Dr. Bunson is on the faculty of the Catholic Distance University where he teaches Church history, including Catholic-Islamic relations and Medieval and American Catholic History. In addition, he is a contributing editor and columnist for This Rock magazine and moderator of the Church history forum for EWTN.com.
Amen Amen ♡