Readings:

Lk. 19:28-40; Is. 50:4-7; Ps. 22; Phil. 2:6-11; Lk. 22:14-23:56

As we continue to reflect on the significance of our Blessed Lord’s passion, at the beginning of Holy Week, we are first reminded of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The Gospel we heard at the beginning of Mass recounts the way in which the people received Jesus. The first image is of Jesus riding a colt. This particular colt was one kept for just this purpose. It was a colt that had never been yoked, which had been reserved for the king. Second, the people spreading their cloaks on the road shows their acknowledgement of Jesus as king. And third, the multitude of disciples all began to praise God for the mighty deeds they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.”

At the beginning of this Holy Week, the king comes again. Meek and humble, riding on a donkey, but nonetheless acknowledged for his majesty. He is the one who leads us; he is the one who guides us; he is the one who shows us the way to the Father. It is not a way of luxury or self-preservation, but a way of humility and self-sacrifice. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” By his stripes we have been made free. As we focus more intently on the Paschal Mystery, may we be blessed by the fruits of the sacrifice of Jesus, who “humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”