Procession: Matthew 21:1-11
Mass: Isaiah 50:4-7;
Psalm 22
Philippians 2:6-11;
Matthew 26:14—27:66
THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS ON EARTH
Today marks the beginning of the Holy Week, during which we are called upon to follow Jesus Christ and live with him the last events of his earthly life. On this day, we celebrate Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem amid the jubilation and chants of Hosanna of the crowd (Matthew 21:1-11).
Jesus entered the holy city, where he would suffer, die, be buried and resurrect from the dead for our redemption. While the procession with palms celebrates, in its multiple aspects, the triumph and the victory of Jesus as the Son of David and the Messiah, the Mass readings evoke the hard and painful conditions of this victory. These include the persecutions endured like the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 50:4-7), his humility and his obedience until death on the cross (Philippians 2:6-11) and his sorrowful Passion (Matthew 26:14—27:66).
In the Passion narrative, we witness a radical self-emptying of the Son of God: betrayal, abandonment, humiliation, unjust condemnation, death and burial. And yet, this is precisely the way he chose to communicate life to us. He accepts being unjustly condemned to justify us. He humbles himself so as to lift us up. He empties himself in order to fill us. He enters the tomb to bring us to life.
As such, let the palms remind us that Christ is the King of our hearts. Let us ask him to reign in us, in the Church and in the world. Let us adore him who, by his death on the cross, gives life to the world. Let us ask for the grace so that this Holy Week may be an opportunity for true conversion and renewal. Let us intensify our closeness to Christ. Let each of us repent from his sins and experience God’s forgiveness. May we have a renewed experience of his infinite and merciful love for us. By the merits of our Lord’s sorrowful Passion, may God hear our prayer and save us from the snares of the evil one. May God the Father, who sustained Jesus in his Passion also sustain us especially in moments of betrayal, trials, suffering and persecution. May God the Holy Spirit guide us so that we may have a transforming and fruitful Holy Week.
Amen
