PALM SUNDAY (A)

"Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest."

Mt 21:1-11

WELCOME

The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.”

That was how Jerusalem welcomed Jesus. Some days later the mood of Jeru-salem turned ugly. Their cry changed to “crucify him!” But for now Jerusalem was happy to welcomed this Jesus who some said was a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.

There are two events that I remember which come close to this kind of welcome. One was the welcome accorded to Cory (Aquino) during and after the snap elections in 1986. The other was the welcome accorded to Pope John Paul II when he came to the Philippines for the World Youth Day in 1995. In both instances there was excitement. You felt electrified. You couldn’t help but cry out “Cory! Cory! Cory!” or “John Paul II, we love you! John Paul II, we love you!”

If there was a rousing welcome given to Jesus, there was also a subdued welcome given to him. Jesus and his disciples were welcomed by Martha and Mary to their home in Bethany. Mary kept Jesus company while Martha set about preparing something for them to eat. There was no loud noise. Perhaps the only thing you could hear was the voice of Jesus and the sound of pots and pans.

Perhaps this is the kind of welcome that we give to Jesus when we receive him in Holy Communion. It is a quiet welcome, but real and profound nonetheless because it done in faith. It is done reverence. It is done with great love.

We welcome Jesus with faith. We believe that it is Jesus who we receive in Holy Communion. That happens in our mind. But it doesn’t stay in our mind. That act of believing reaches our lips. It is expressed externally. And that is why we say: “Amen.”

We receive Jesus with reverence. What does reverence mean? When Moses approached the burning bush, God told him to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. Removing his sandals was a sign of reverence for the presence of God. Reverence may be understood as respect we show to God. Respect and reverence is an interior attitude. But that interior attitude shows itself in our actions. For those who receive Holy Communion with the hands, reverence for Jesus is shown by the correct way we receive communion with our hands. And perhaps, even by the cleanliness of our hands.

We receive Jesus with love. Again love is something interior. But the love for Jesus that is in our heart makes us behave in certain ways. For example, when you love someone, that someone becomes important to you. And so that person remains in your thoughts. St. Dominic Savio expressed the importance of Jesus by thinking about receiving him even the night before. When you love someone, you want to be with that someone. You want to talk and listen to that someone. In the same way, we express our love for Jesus by paying attention to him in prayer.

VISIT

If there is a welcome, then there must be a visit. Let's also consider God's visit.

At the naming of his son, John the Baptist, Zechariah’s tongue was loosened and he began to praise God with these words: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. For he has visited his people and set them free.”

Another text also speaks of God visiting his people: As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If this day you only knew what makes for peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation"(Lk 19:41-44).

When the Bible says that God visits his people, it means that God enters history and intervenes in life of his people. In the passages above, the coming of Jesus to bring salvation to Israel is understood as God’s visit to his people.

But sometimes God has to visit his people with punishment in order to call them to conversion. At other times sometimes God is said to come and visit his people with a trial that will put their faith to the test.

Consider the case of Job. He lost his material wealth. He lost his children. And he lost his health. Yet he never lost his faith. Job said, “We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?" The bible added this observation: “Through all this, Job said nothing sinful.” (Job 2:10)

John’s father died when John was only 2 years old. When he died, he left his wife to care for his mother, and their three young children. Yet on his deathbed, he told his wife to have faith in God.

Sometimes the strong faith of people surprises us. When Mount Pinatubo erupted, the barrio of Cabalantian.in Pampanga was covered with lahar. Many months later, the people who chose to return requested for a Mass. They wanted to thank the Lord for sparing their lives. And these were the people who lost everything. What faith!

God may have visited us recently with a trial. Maybe our faith is not as strong as that of Job or as that of the people of Cabalantian. Let us pray for faith. For faith is a gift that God will certainly give.

"I Believe"

I believe for every drop of rain that falls
A flower grows,
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night
A candle glows,
I believe for everyone who goes astray,
Someone will come to show the way,
I believe, I believe.

I believe above the storm a smallest prayer
Will still be heard,
I believe that someone in the great somewhere
Hears every word,
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,
Then I know why,
I believe.

Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
Or touch a leaf, or see the sky,
Then I know why,
I believe.

---------------------
The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.