Today I want to answer two questions. Firstly, what lesson can we draw from the Gospel read before the start of our procession. Secondly, there is a shift in mood. Is it significant?The Gospel before the Blessing of Palms is anticipatory in mood. Christ comes into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. There is an Old Testament reference to the Prophet Zechariah cannot be missed [Zech 9:9]. The Messianic King will come riding on a donkey.
The donkey is an animal of peace. Kings of old would ride on horseback during wartime whereas ceremonial processions were accomplished through the lowly donkey. Whilst Jerusalem erupted into a frenzy befitting a military commander, Christ came unexpectedly as the King of Peace, riding a donkey never ridden before, thus signifying the sacred task the animal was conscripted into.
The crowd shouted rightfully so: Hosanna. Analogous to our SOS, it meant “save us”. But, they were actually asking for nothing. They merely wanted a “god” who could do their bidding. In this case, a saviour to liberate them from their political overlords: the Romans. But, the God who came to save was not a military saviour. Instead, He came to save the people; He came to save all peoples from sin. This King riding on the donkey actually challenged the “status quo” because his liberation was not limited by political or geographical constraints. Moses may have initiated a geo-political liberation but this King was leading an exodus that was more than earthly, more than geo-political and socio-economic liberation because it involved the definitive passage from the reign of evil to the reign of God; from the rule of sin and death to the rule grace and life.
It might not mean a thing to you to know this. Why? Well, life is hard. We struggle through life and in our struggles, many of us will pray and ask that God be generous to us as He listens to prayers and grants our petitions. It is natural we do that but are we asking too little? Sometimes we aim so low without realising that God wants to give us more.
Thus, the shift in mood is necessary. The mood is deliberately sombre. We even covered statues or religious images from last Sunday so that we can better appreciate the immensity of God’s generosity. In fact, the solemnity requires that we put aside even our deepest concerns and focus on the Passion narrative. Before the Blessing of the Palms and the Procession, the King rode a lowly. Here at the Passion Narrative, the King has become the lowly donkey. He has become the beast of burden Himself for He now carries our sins and heals our wounds. This realisation does not come so easily but bereft of “earthly” comforts and pleasures, Holy Week is the graced moment to recognise the immensity of God’s generosity. Do not settle for less than what God wants to give. Holy Week reminds us that God wants to give us eternal life and no less.
