Palm Sunday
Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11.
On this Palm Sunday, we enter with Christ into the holy city of Jerusalem—not merely to witness His acclaim by the crowds, but to follow Him on the path of self-emptying love and redemptive suffering. The reading from the prophet Isaiah unveils the profound inner disposition of Jesus: the obedient Servant who listens to the voice of the Father, who does not rebel nor turn back in the face of affliction. He offers His back to those who strike Him, and His face to shame and spitting, not because He is powerless, but because He is perfectly humble and filled with unwavering trust in the One who sent Him. This is why His entrance into Jerusalem is truly triumphant—not for the palms and hosannas, but for His readiness to embrace the emptiness of suffering and death. St. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, draws us even deeper into this mystery: the Son of God, though in the form of God, did not cling to His divine privileges, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. In this act of total humility and trust, He conquers death and is exalted by the Father. ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ Because He is entering into Jerusalem totally humble but with unwavering trust in the Father to bring the definitive difference. Let’s reflect: Am I following the logic of Jesus in this commemoration of His triumphant Entrance into Jerusalem?
Don Giorgio