On Palm Sunday, the Church calls all of us to stand with attention and reverence before a great event: the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. A king is coming, but not as the world knows kings. He is not accompanied or guarded by chariots, guards, noise and pomp. He rides a humble animal, a colt, and even accepts the applause of the people with silence and meekness.
“Behold, your king comes to you, meek and seated on a donkey,” writes the evangelist Matthew (21:5), recalling the prophecy of Zechariah, spoken about five centuries before the events took place: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; proclaim, daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, meek and riding on a colt, a colt the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). The people burst into celebration and shouts. They hold palm branches and branches of trees, spread their garments in the road, shouting “Hosanna,” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
They welcome Christ as king. But this joy is superficial, because a few days later, many of these same people will cry out, blinded by hatred and malice: “Crucify Him!, Crucify Him!”... The same city that applauded Him will humiliate Him... The same people who benefited from him in healing will condemn Him... Why? Because he did not meet their expectations... He was not the Messiah who would overthrow Roman rule in a warlike manner, but the Redeemer of the soul, who came to heal not so much the external slavery, but the internal alienation of man, worse than the first. Jesus does not ask for applause at all. He asks for a pure heart. He asks for depth of feelings, not enthusiasm that fades away. Saint John Chrysostom writes: “Christ does not enter the city as a worldly king, but as a humble shepherd, riding a poor animal, to show us that he loves humility” (PG 58, 628).
Today attempts to convince us to make the right decision for our spiritual life: What is our position towards Christ? Are we a mob, who are excited for a while, or are we faithful disciples, who follow him to Golgotha and the Tomb? The laurels that we hold in our hands are certainly a symbol of victory, but of a victory that passes through the experience of the Cross. As the Church sings: “We sing the victorious hymns, holding the branches, to you, the Victor of death, we hope.” Holy Week, which begins today, is an invitation to a procession. Beyond and above a dramatic representation of historical events, it is a true invitation to participation: To walk with Christ, to become companions in His passion, to crucify our own passions and mistakes alongside Him and to rise with Him glorified, on the day of the Glorious! Because only he who walks the path of the Passion truly tastes the joy of the Resurrection! In the Revelation, Christ says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears me and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him” (Rev. 3:20). Do you hear him? He is already knocking at our door! Let us open to him! Not only for the duration of the celebration, not out of habit or fear, but with a humble attitude, sincerity and repentance. Let us make our hearts a new Jerusalem, so that it may become a friendly dwelling place for the King of Glory. Every heart is a palace for our Savior and Redeemer! Blessed Holy Week to all, with Christ in our hearts and His Resurrection at the end of days!