The liturgy we celebrated yesterday started in a different fashion from the norm. People who were expecting a voice to invite them to stand and start singing may have been surprised to hear something very different:
Dear friends in Christ,
for five weeks, we have been preparing by fasting and works of penance
for the celebration of Our Lord's passion ...
Then again, this week, people picked up their annual allotment of palms, the fronds that have adorned some of our homes (at least in sacred spaces) for as long as we remember. Even as these introductory words were being uttered, there were some (and not all of them adults either) who were folding the palms into crosses, or braiding them. It's good to see that faith traditions continue.
There is an extra scripture passage pronounced on Palm Sunday, and I think that merits at least a nod, since many of the symbolisms have been lost in modern culture.
Matthew explains that Jesus entered Jerusalem sitting on a donkey and a colt. What we've forgotten about this custom is that it would have been the mode of the day for royalty to enter the Holy City (or to travel anywhere for that matter) aboard portable means of transportation. Since there were no automobiles, this would have been a suitable alternative. In addition, the apostles laid their cloaks on the backs of the beasts: yet another important gesture usually reserved for royalty (call it a gesture of respect for the nobility).
As the procession made its way into Jerusalem, others who were bystanders, and who understood the importance of this moment placed their own cloaks on the road in order to pave the way, and those who either didn't have cloaks or couldn't afford them took branches from the nearby trees to do the trick.
What a sight this must have been! Room for people of all classes, and all abilities. Room for all those with the eyes of faith to believe that this man Jesus was indeed a king, although not a king by any established measures of physical wealth or entitlement. Indeed, this spoke of the conviction of those men and women who knew the Master, who heard his voice, who were responding to his call.
I wonder how we would react if we too had this depth of conviction?
Dear friends in Christ,
for five weeks, we have been preparing by fasting and works of penance
for the celebration of Our Lord's passion ...
Then again, this week, people picked up their annual allotment of palms, the fronds that have adorned some of our homes (at least in sacred spaces) for as long as we remember. Even as these introductory words were being uttered, there were some (and not all of them adults either) who were folding the palms into crosses, or braiding them. It's good to see that faith traditions continue.
There is an extra scripture passage pronounced on Palm Sunday, and I think that merits at least a nod, since many of the symbolisms have been lost in modern culture.
Matthew explains that Jesus entered Jerusalem sitting on a donkey and a colt. What we've forgotten about this custom is that it would have been the mode of the day for royalty to enter the Holy City (or to travel anywhere for that matter) aboard portable means of transportation. Since there were no automobiles, this would have been a suitable alternative. In addition, the apostles laid their cloaks on the backs of the beasts: yet another important gesture usually reserved for royalty (call it a gesture of respect for the nobility).
As the procession made its way into Jerusalem, others who were bystanders, and who understood the importance of this moment placed their own cloaks on the road in order to pave the way, and those who either didn't have cloaks or couldn't afford them took branches from the nearby trees to do the trick.
What a sight this must have been! Room for people of all classes, and all abilities. Room for all those with the eyes of faith to believe that this man Jesus was indeed a king, although not a king by any established measures of physical wealth or entitlement. Indeed, this spoke of the conviction of those men and women who knew the Master, who heard his voice, who were responding to his call.
I wonder how we would react if we too had this depth of conviction?
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