Jesus Enters Jerusalem

“God, in His plan of loving goodness, reconciled us to Himself through the blood of His Son, raised us up with Him in His Resurrection, and, through His Ascension, seats us with Him in the heavenly places.” – Echoing the Mystery, Unlocking the Deposit of Faith in Catechesis

Faith

On Passion Sunday, each of us holds a palm branch to lay before Jesus as He enters Jerusalem on a donkey. Within this liturgy, we go from shouting praise to Him with the crowd to shouting, “Crucify Him!” Why would the Church have us be the “crowd” in the reading of this narrative? I don’t know about you, but I’m always startled and disturbed by the role. And yet, I find myself reflecting upon my attentiveness to the events of the Paschal Mystery—Christ’s Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Am I fully aware of all God has done to bring me back into friendship, into union with Him? Does my life reflect an attitude of wonder, awe, praise, and thanksgiving that Jesus became man, suffered, died, and rose for this one purpose? 

I guess I find my answer when I’m with the crowd during the reading of the Passion narrative. How do I feel when I join in and say, “Let Him be crucified”? How do you feel?

Spot the Virtue 

The virtue of generosity means giving yourself willingly to bring joy to another. The gift lies in the delight of seeing the other person appreciate the gift of self.

Name: Katie, I noticed you gave your homemade chocolate chip cookie to Amy at lunch.  

Explain: I know your mom baked those for you and it was very generous of you to give them away rather than enjoy them for yourself.  

Express: Thank you for showing your peers what it means to be generous.

Spot the virtue in one person this week.

Prayer 

Spend time reflecting upon the Passion narrative.