Palm Sunday (2015-03-29)

Palm  Sunday, 29  March 2015

[__01__]  Crowds love a winner. Crowds love a victory.  For this reason, we observe that a competitive contest / match may start with the supporters of 2 teams in the arena, but conclude with only 1 team’s supporters still in their seats.

A crowd favors and follows a victory, a winner.

[__02__]   And, this traditional Gospel of Palm Sunday reports to us the crowd of Jerusalem, following and welcoming a victor, a winner.

Jesus of Nazareth had arrived. He is  in the building.  And,  his supporters, fans, were there to…

·       Make the rough way smooth – and paved – with their cloaks.

·       Fill the atmosphere and air with shouts of support and  palm branches.

·       Boost the approval rating overall of Jesus as Savior.

The crowd loves a win, a victory.

[__03__]   Don’t we see the same in awards’ ceremonies, in the Olympic torch being carried worldwide on its way to Rio de Janeiro for 2016, and ceremonies of graduation, inauguration, and  - of course – coronation.

The crowds love a winner, a victory.

[__04__]   This Palm  Sunday, in the traditional Gospel reading, we observe that the crowd rejoiced and welcomed our Lord and Savior, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.”  (Mark 11)

The crowd loves a winner. And, Jesus is moving in their direction. They welcome him into their city of Jerusalem.

 [__05__]  Sometimes, of course, the crowd does not welcome or favor such a visitor…. Because sometimes the visitor – the ambassador, the president, the rock star – simply causes the midtown Manhattan traffic and the Lincoln Tunnel to slow down … or the traffic around Capitol Hill in Washington could be a nightmare.

Yes, crowds love a winner…but the crowd also wants to keep moving.  Crowds want movement.  You and I also are called to keep moving, to keep moving forward in our lives.

[__06__]   Coming into Jerusalem, Jesus as our Savior/King/Victor – also invites not only to shout for him, or to watch him, but also to move with him, on the Via Crucis, the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross.

We are  in the crowd. We also love a winner, a victory.

[__07__]  However, for this victory, the victory of our salvation, we are not simply passive observers, cheering on someone else in the competition.

Yes, we rejoice, we celebrate that Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

We love a winner, a victory.  And, indeed,  though Jesus had been mocked, scourged, rejected … and abandoned by many of his friends, he was still favored – still the favorite – all along.

And, we might remember this in our own experience  of the Cross – that if we were to experience, say, the rejection or sorrow within our family,  or difficulty even we have done  our best, we are called to remember that we have – through the Holy Spirit – and  through our consciences – God’s favor, God’s  love. God also loves us and cheers us on to movement, and  to victory.

[__08__] We are called  to move with Jesus on the Way of the Cross.

This means, at times, separating ourselves from the crowd to follow him through the city.

For example …   

[__08(a)__]  The Passover and the Holy Eucharist – in the Passion we have read, large crowds welcome him but only the smaller group of disciples joins him for their First Communion in Jerusalem.  And, on Holy Thursday, in a special way, we recall this First Communion of the Church.

In this regard, many in the crowd regard him as a king and ruler rather than as a servant  and helper.

To receive Jesus in Communion, we grow in intimacy with him as servants, as helpers as he was.

[__08(b)__]  The Crucifixion and Calvary – yes, large crowds follow him, but only a few are still in the “arena” when the clock runs out, when he gives up his spirit  on Calvary.

And, in our lives, doesn’t it take  extra effort, extra grace for us to endure to the end, especially in the care and love of a spouse, child, parent, to share both living and dying with them?  However, in this perseverance, we also grow closer to our Lord, we also follow his way of the Cross … for  own triumphant hope and entry into Heaven and the new Jerusalem.    [__fin__]