And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, “Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.” And this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”Matthew 21:9
My favorite part of the Palm Sunday story is "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord". In the East and in the West this said, chanted or sung with every Divine Liturgy and Mass. Christ might not be literally riding down the aisle, but certainly He is about to become physically manifest to us in the Eucharist. He is coming to His New Jerusalem, just the same as He came to Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. Just as we are present at Calvary for His one Sacrifice every time we celebrate the Eucharist, so too do we mystically cheer His arrival just as the Jews of ancient times did.
St Jerome had this to say: For it signifies that the coming of Christ is the salvation of the world, whence it follows, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Which same thing the Savior in the Gospel confirms, “I am come in my Father’s name.”
St Hilary of Poitier said: "The words of their song of praise, express His power of redemption; in calling Him the Son of David, they acknowledge His hereditary title to the kingdom."
UPDATE: Check out a great post here about the importance of the donkey in Palm Sunday.
Have a blessed Holy Week!
May God bless all who read my ramblings,
Adopt A Catholic Blog
2 comments:
"Like a Boss" - I love it! And I love being reminded of the power and meaning of one of the parts of Mass that can so easily be lost in the shuffle, their significance and meaning lessened by repetition. I WILL be mystically cheering next Mass!
Your picture made me smile!
When we sing the Hosanna during Mass, it's one of my favorite parts. Singing it makes me concentrate more - and I'm usually holding a small child, singing softly into their ear. My oldest daughter used to sing it, "Hosann-anna" - I still think of that now, even though she's 17!
I love this reminder that we can be with the crowds in Jerusalem every Mass, and be a part of that (surely!) amazing experience.
Have a blessed and marvelous Holy Week!
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