PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD
14 APRIL 2019
When
Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem, he instructs his disciples to untie a donkey
and bring it to him. They should tell
the owners, “The Master has need of it.”
Even though God needs nothing, the Son of God needs that donkey, so it
can carry the promised Messiah into the Holy City. Because he is the Suffering Servant and not a
conquering king, he will also need a crown of thorns, a wooden cross, and a
borrowed tomb to complete his mission.
He also has
need of us. The owner of that donkey
more than likely branded it to announce who owned it. We have been branded in Baptism, configured
permanently to Jesus Christ. He needs us
to express the ways we have not lived our branding. He needs us to strip away whatever separates
us from him. He needs us to be untied
from habits and behaviors that are destructive, as the donkey was untied for
its journey. He needs us to participate
in the Sacred Paschal Triduum this week.
Lent ends
on Thursday night when we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord needs us at that Mass and the other
major Triduum Liturgies: the
Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, the Easter Vigil on
Saturday night, and the Easter Sunday Masses.
He needs us to renew our faith in his saving death and resurrection.
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