MARCH 24^th 2013. FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Gospel: Luke 19:28-40

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

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Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

PROCESSION GOSPEL : Luke 19:28-40

Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. Now when he was near Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives as it is called, he sent two of the disciples, telling them, 'Go off to the village opposite, and as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?" you are to say this, "The Master needs it".' The messengers went off and found everything just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owner said, 'Why are you untying that colt?' and they answered, 'The Master needs it'.

So they took the colt to Jesus, and throwing their garments over its back they helped Jesus on to it. As he moved off, people spread their cloaks in the road, and now, as he was approaching the downward slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole group of disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for all the miracles they had seen. They cried out:

'Blessings on the King who comes, 
in the name of the Lord! 
Peace in heaven 
and glory in the highest heavens!'

Some Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Master, check your disciples', but he answered, 'I tell you, if these keep silence the stones will cry out'.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

One of the central figures in the Psalm Sunday Gospel is the donkey, a humble beast of burden! This lowly animal is untied by the disciples of Jesus and becomes the bearer of the glory of God! In a similar way, all of us need to be untied, liberated, by the word of Jesus so that we too can carry Jesus to the world and manifest his glory. What is it that ties us down and prevents us from carrying Jesus to the world? We are tied down by sin, by the evil one, by our preoccupations with ourselves and the opinions of others. We need to be liberated by Jesus so that we too can become bearers of his glory.

A humble beast of burden is given a central role in bearing Christ

The processional Gospel that precedes the liturgy of Palm Sunday recounts Jesus’ glorious entrance into Jerusalem. Ironically, a humble beast of burden takes a central role in the manifestation of Jesus’ glory. Jesus sends two of his disciples to obtain the donkey that will carry him into the city. The fact that Jesus sends two disciples is an indication that this is a special mission, because the sending of people in pairs is an indication of mission in the Gospels. What is the significance of the peculiar events of this particular mission to obtain a donkey for Jesus? A donkey is a beast of burden, but the donkey in the Gospel is tied up and has never been used before. Jesus gives the donkey the opportunity to become the true beast of burden that he is supposed to be.

We are all beasts of burden that are tied up and unable to carry a load

All of us have much in common with the donkey in the Gospel. Each of us is a beast of burden that is unable to carry the burden that has been assigned to us. We are unable to carry the burden because we are immature, lost, tied up by other things. The verb “untie” appears four times in this passage. We are called to be untied, loosened from our bonds, so that we, insignificant though we are, can carry the glory of God on our shoulders. Each individual Christian is a poor and miserable thing, but someone is with us, someone marvellous who can transform what we are. Later in the Gospel of Luke, the good thief on the Cross asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his Kingdom. Jesus replies, “This day you will be with me in Paradise”. To be with Jesus is to be in Paradise. This insignificant beast of burden, once liberated from his bonds, becomes something glorious. He lives the extraordinary experience that comes when one is with Jesus, when one is liberated by Jesus.

It is the word spoken by Jesus that liberates the beast of burden

The details of the story in which the disciples go and find the colt are of special significance. The donkey has been tied up by someone - donkeys do not tie themselves up. It is tied up and is not yet considered ready, or perhaps even capable, of carrying out its function. Jesus instructs the disciples to untie it, and if someone asks why they are untying it, they are to reply, “The Master needs it”. It is significant that this text is repeated in full twice. Luke could simply have written, “And everything happened just as Jesus said”. But instead he insists on repeating everything. Why so? The passage wishes to emphasize a central point. The owners of the colt allow the disciples to untie their colt and take it away. Why do they allow such a thing to happen? Because of the word spoken by Christ. The repetition of the text drives home the point that it is the word of Jesus that leads directly to the liberation of the donkey. The Lord says to untie the donkey and the donkey must be untied. The verb “tie/untie” appears earlier in the Gospel of Luke in the context of the battle against the evil one, and the need for a man to be untied when he is bound by a stronger man who has become his master.

What ties us? From what do we need the liberating word of Jesus?

We too are beasts of burden.  What is it that ties each one of us and prevents us from fulfilling our role? Sin and evil bind us. Deception, the opinions of other people, our disordered passions. These are the things that play the role of master in our lives. But Jesus, with one word, can liberate us from these bonds. The word of Jesus frees the donkey and permits it to participate in the glory of the Lord. What a beautiful thing! This most humble of creatures plays a central role in the most glorious event of the earthly life of Jesus! And so it is with us. It doesn’t matter that we are humble beasts of burden; what matters is that we are liberated and used by Jesus. This is our destiny. This is the wonderful adventure to which we are called – to be freed by the power of Christ’s word, “The Master needs you”.

God has a plan of freedom and glory for each one of us

In this we see the fulfilment of God’s plan. God has a plan for this beast of burden. God has a plan for the humblest of animals. God has a plan for each one of us. A plan of freedom and a plan of glory. God wants to be served by us. Let us allow the phrase “The Master has need” to enter into our hearts. We are miserable but the Lord needs us! Incredibly, we are extremely important for him. He does not want to manage without us. He needs us to make him known. He uses the poverty of the disciples and the church to spread his word to the world. The two disciples in the Gospel are themselves beasts of burden who fulfil the mission they were called to do, but they achieve this only through the authority of Jesus.

Jesus did not promise the owners of the donkey that the animal would be returned to them. The Lord needed it, and the Gospel of Luke does not tell us where it ended up. If Jesus needs us, then let us allow ourselves to be taken by him, on a one-way ticket only! This Psalm Sunday let us make our celebration visible and tangible. Let us pray and sing aloud in the procession so that through us others can experience the King of kings, the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the one who brings heaven down to earth. We are the voice of Jesus in the world. We are the beasts of burden who carry on our shoulders the glory of God.