The Catholic Liturgy for Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019.
Gospels: Lk 19:28-40 (Entry into Jerusalem); Luke 22:14-23:56 (The Passion) Theme:
Check Your Attitude…
It’s always such an
amazing thing to me to see how the crowds in Jerusalem went from cheering Jesus
and giving Him literally a King’s welcome on Palm Sunday, to screaming out
bloody murder for his execution just a few days later on Good Friday.
You see, for centuries the
people were expecting the Messiah to be a mighty Warrior-Hero-King. A Liberator
who would finally be the one to kick the cruel Roman oppressors out of their
Promised Land, restoring them to what they all imagined and hoped would be the
best and happiest of lives.
When they learn that Jesus
has been taken prisoner, beaten and tortured by the enemy, all their hopes for
this Hero-Messiah were trashed. Turns
out He wasn’t the one after all. Or to
put it better, He turned out to not be the kind of Messiah, not the kind of
Savior, that they wanted, that they expected in their lives.
Their idea of liberation
and happiness was not as far-reaching and all-encompassing as was God’s idea. They were focused only on this short earthly
life. God sees the bigger picture and had in mind an entire eternity of joy and
fulfilment.
It seems so very easy to
judge and condemn the people of Jerusalem for being fickle and hypocrites. And
yet…before we point that finger at them…we have to stop and examine our own
attitudes towards Jesus and how he has acted in our lives.
How often have we shaken a
fist at God because he was not the kind of Savior we expected Him to be in our
lives? How often have we grumbled or
complained at Him or about Him because he was not carrying out the plans we
intended, we expected in our lives?
As we proceed into Holy
Week and approach Good Friday, let’s pray for the grace to always maintain a
solid and loving relationship with God.
And let’s each keep this thought in mind: Do I trust Jesus enough to let
Him to God in my life no matter how things may seem?
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