Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. I am not going to talk about politics today, but instead am going to give you the verses from the New Testament that show our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where five days later He would be crucified for our sins.

From BibleGateway is the New International Version of Luke 19:28-44:

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,

30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.

33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.

36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[a]
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.

44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

How sad that even today so many people do not recognize God came to us in the form of His Only Begotten Son Jesus.

Written by ~J~

One Response to “Palm Sunday”

1. karen says:

   April 2, 2007 at 10:32 am

   This very passage was a reading at our Mass(we have four readings from the Bible-1st is OTestament, 2nd is a Psalm/response, 3rd is a NTestament and then the Gospel).

   Then the Passion is read- also from St. Luke this yr- and it goes from the Last Supper to crucifixion. We have Mass on Good Friday @ 3:00- and the Passion is read yet again.

   Our priest, from Tanzania he is- had a very thought-provoking homily yesterday. He told about a woman explaining the crucifixion to her two grandsons; how Christ was made to walk in humility and torture until He was nailed to the cross and died there, hanging.

   One was so moved he couldn’t sleep that night. Very early the next morning the young boy got up and crept into the living room where he climbed upon the couch to take down the small crucifix hanging on the wall. He then took a letter opener from the desk and worked at the nails in Christ’s hands, trying to pry the body of our Lord from the cross to which he was nailed. The nails wouldn’t budge, our priest told us, and the little boy began to cry.

   His crying woke his Grandmother and she came out and asked him what could be the matter, it was too early to wake up and why was he crying? And he told her- i tried to free Christ from this cross, but the nails held tight and would not budge.

   His Grandmother picked him up and took him to a sitting place so she could comfort him and try to explain. She said simply: “You are too little to understand the meaning now of Christ nailed to the cross, but someday you will. Christ died willingly for us out of love.”

   Father’s sermon went on about love and invitation to follow Christ, invitation to take up our cross, invitation to imitate Him in His example of love to our neighbors and even our enemies. I was really moved by this “simple story” as our priest calls it- and always the message of Love. Maybe someday we’ll ~get it~.