Palm Sunday is our kickoff to Holy Week, a special time of
remembering the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is unusual that we have two Gospel readings at Mass: a reading of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the very beginning of the service and the Passion of our Lord according to Mark at the normal place for the Gospel. As I reflected on this, it struck me that this anomaly is a very clear and direct statement of what Jesus was all about: teaching us that to be first is to be last, to be the greatest is to be the servant to others. Why did I think of that? In the first Gospel reading, Jesus enters Jerusalem, the principal city of the Jews, in a triumphant manner, as would a king (or the Messiah). It would appear that He was the political Messiah that the Jews were waiting for, the Messiah who would conquer all other nations and make the Jews #1. But there is one clue that this isn’t the case: He was riding on a donkey, the work animal of the common person, not a mighty steed, as would a “real” king! Then comes the second Gospel, the passion and death of Jesus. Yes, He was the Messiah, but not an earthly power. He was the Messiah who suffered and died for all of us. He put Himself last in service to us: that was His messianic role. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem was preparation for the greatest act of service for others in human history. The message to us, who call ourselves “Christian,” is that to be first is to be last, to be first is to serve others! There is no way around it: Jesus gave us the clearest example in His actions on Good Friday. As we move through Holy Week to our celebration of the Resurrection, I invite us to reflect on how well we are doing at imitating our Master, who gave Himself for our salvation. We need to give of ourselves for others. May you have a spiritually fulfilling Holy Week. God bless. Church sign of the week: Share love and it grows; share sorrow and it lessens.
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