Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
“Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” [Zechariah 9:9].
On this day, the Lord Christ entered the Temple as King, for His Kingdom had drawn near.
The day had approached when He would trample death by His death, destroy the kingdom of Satan, and purchase the whole world with His precious Blood..
He entered the Temple to establish a Kingdom not of this world, a spiritual Kingdom in the heart, built on love and not on authority.
He entered Jerusalem, the city of the great King, and the city was shaken by His coming..
They cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Hosanna, or Hoshanna, means “Save us, save us now,” because the time of salvation had come.
Did they ask Him for salvation as the Son of David, or as the Son of Man, or as the Son of God, or all of these together?
He came to save the world from the bondage of Satan, sin, and the world, a bondage far more difficult than slavery to the Romans.
When Christ entered Jerusalem as King, the simple people rejoiced in Him, while the elders and rulers were troubled.
The simple people looked objectively at His Kingship, so their hearts were filled with joy. But the chief priests, the elders of the people, and their teachers could not free their view from self-interest.. And this selfishness wearied their hearts, directed all their actions, and led them to hatred, conspiracy, and crime.. matters that did not agree with their priesthood, nor with their knowledge, nor with their ideals..!
These rulers and teachers became troubled and said: “Look, the whole world has gone after Him.” How strange! And what harm was there if all went after Him? Was this not what John the Baptist desired, that the bride would belong to the Bridegroom…?!
But these rulers and teachers were not like John the Baptist. They could not say that John’s baptism was from heaven, and when Christ asked them about it, they said: “We do not know,” while they did know!!
But selfishness led them to falsehood.. love of appearance and love of possessing the crowds delivered their minds to a debased understanding, and they looked at Christ as a rival, so they hated Him!!!
Christ entered Jerusalem as King. But these rejected Him. They refused that He should reign over them.. They said: “We have no king but Caesar”!!, while they were waiting for the coming of the Messiah to save them from Caesar!! Truly, how easily self-love can lead to flattery and hypocrisy, if in that there is fulfillment of self according to misguided understanding..!
But their rejection of Christ did not harm Christ; rather, it harmed them.
Christ was establishing the Kingdom, building the Church, and arranging the matter of salvation. Meanwhile, these rulers and teachers were occupied with their negativities: arranging conspiracies, encouraging traitors, thinking of killing Him, and feeling complete happiness if Satan helped them fulfill their sinful desires..
The opposition and conspiracies of these priests did not prevent the Kingdom of Christ..
And this meek King who entered Jerusalem riding on a colt, this King who “reigned from the tree,” and established His Kingdom while nails were in His hands, His Kingdom spread to the ends of the earth despite all conspiracies..
And you, O blessed one: what are your meditations on Palm Sunday, on the remembrance of proclaiming Christ King in Jerusalem?
Say to Him: Come, O Lord, and reign. Let Your Kingdom come into my heart and into the hearts of all people. Let Your Kingdom come upon all nations and in every land..
Reign, O Lord, over my thoughts, my feelings, my senses, my instincts, my money, and my time, that I may become wholly Yours..
Remove from me, O Lord, everything that hinders Your Kingdom within me..
Remove from me the selfishness that prevented Your Kingdom from the chief priests of the Jews, and remove from me the literalism that kept the Pharisees away from Your Kingdom. Remove from me the harshness and jealousy because of which the elders and rulers became distant.
Do not allow anything to exist within my heart that competes with You.
Come, O Lord, and cleanse Your Temple, which is my heart.. I have brought into it the tables of the money changers through my love of money and my concern for material things.. My heart is no longer a house of prayer, as You desire.
Grant me, O Lord, the love by which I may make this heart a house of prayer..
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