Posted on April 13, 2025 View all Gospel Reflection
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord”
If you thought that some Sundays you experienced a bit of liturgical whiplash, today would be one of those days. In the reading at the beginning of Mass with the procession of palms, we declare “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna in the highest! The people of Jerusalem lined the streets as Jesus rode in on a colt and laid cloaks on the path of the colt and waved palms acclaiming his triumphant entry into the city. While we should be surprised that there were people in Jerusalem who supported Jesus, and who were willing to make accommodations for him (like the colt, the upper room, etc.), to see the multitude lining the streets and acclaiming Jesus as their king was something else altogether.
Then in the Gospel we have the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Passion the people are also yelling, but this time they acclaim “Crucify him! Crucify him!”. What a turnabout. In the Passion we also see the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. Here in this intimate gathering Our Lord took the cup and the unleavened bread and would say “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. … This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.” The great gift of the Eucharist. Here the disciples must have been getting a little excited because finally in some way Jesus was celebrating the Passover with them and this after that very triumphant entry into Jerusalem. But even that was not to last.
Jesus says “And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table” No one could believe it…. They all denied it. Even Peter himself declared that he was prepared to even go to prison and to die with Jesus. But Jesus says “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.” How could that be? And why are they still arguing about who is the most important? Jesus began to feel alone and separated from those around him.
The Passion is a tremendously important moment for us to reflect on our own relationship with Jesus Christ. How many of us say that we will never deny Jesus? How many of us say that Jesus Christ is our Lord? How many of us say that we are willing to die for Christ? But when that one person insults us, or cuts us off while driving, or even when our plans are frustrated due to the failure to follow-through or selfishness of others, how do we react? All too often we get angry and complain.
Jesus did none of those things. He knew his disciples were going to abandon him. He knew who was going to betray him, He knew that the will of the Father was for Him to follow through all the way to the Cross. Even in the garden Jesus prayed “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but your be done.”
As we enter into this holiest of weeks, let us reflect on how do we acclaim Christ as our king. Furthermore, let us reflect on how we are faithful to him even in spite of the actions of others around us. Finally, let the palms that we receive today remind us of our weaknesses, and also the kingship and glory that the Lord Jesus Christ should have in our lives and in our homes.
