March 29^th 2015.  Palm Sunday

PROCESSIONAL GOSPEL: Mark 11:1-10

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

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

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PROCESSIONAL GOSPEL: Mark 11:1-10

 When they were approaching Jerusalem, in sight of Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go off to the village facing you, and as soon as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you, “What are you doing?” say, “The Master needs it and will send it back here directly.” They went off and found a colt tethered near a door in the open street. As they untied it, some men standing there said, ‘What are you doing, untying that colt?’ They gave the answer Jesus had told them and the men let them go. Then they took the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on its back, and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, others greenery which they had cut in the fields. And those who went in front and those who followed were all shouting, “Hosanna! Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heavens!’

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

Kieran’s summary . . . The central figure in the processional Gospel is the donkey who carries Jesus into Jerusalem. Much of the Gospel text describes how the animal is to be untied and taken to the Lord because it is needed. When the Lord comes to us, he is always borne on the shoulders of someone else! The Christian life is a life called to service. We bring Christ to others by becoming beasts of burden, carrying the weight of others. Service is all about bearing the burdens of others, not focussing on carrying our own load. The donkey becomes important because he carries Jesus to glory. We too only become significant when we bear the burden and carry Jesus to others. While we carry only our own weight we remain obscure and alone. The liturgy of Palm Sunday relates the Passion of Jesus. We encounter the one who truly bears the burdens of all of us. The first reading from Isaiah tells of the suffering servant who does not turn away from pain and disgrace. Jesus does not turn away from our suffering. The attitude he displays during the passion is of one who can bear all shame and ignominy because he trusts in the Lord. Shame cannot touch him inside because of his unshakeable relation to the Father. How quick we can be to feel ashamed when we do not win, when we look bad in the eyes of others! Let us imitate Jesus who never wavers in placing his trust in the Father. The reading tells us that the suffering servant knows how to speak words of consolation to others because he knows how to listen like a disciple. To be a good leader we must be a good follower, as Jesus was. How often we seek to lead without having ever learned obedience. This Holy Week let us follow the example of Jesus and develop the listening ear of the true disciple!

The central figure in the processional Gospel is a beast of burden.

The liturgy begins with the recollection of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and then moves on to the very different kind of reception given to Jesus at the moment of his Passion. Jesus is proclaimed as the “one who comes in the name of the Lord”, bringing about the restoration of the kingdom of his father David. Strangely enough, the central figure in the processional Gospel is the donkey. Jesus sends his disciples to a nearby village with detailed instructions on how to find this donkey and on what to say to his owner. Then the entire sequence of events is repeated in detail. The text doesn’t just say, “The disciples did as they were asked”. Every detail is gone through twice. Why is the story of the donkey given such prominence? In the prophet Zechariah it was foretold that the Messiah would be enthroned after entering the holy city of Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus thus fulfils a prophecy that contains within it an aspect of humility – the entry into glory borne upon a modest beast of burden.

Jesus is always carried into people’s lives on a beast of burden, a person who acts in the service of others

The donkey is found in a village on the outskirts of the city, and is not even kept in a stall. No-one has ever mounted it previously. An animal that was made for carrying people has never yet fulfilled its function. The fundamental characteristic of this donkey is that it is a beast of burden, and that Jesus has need of it. The fact is that Jesus always enters the lives of people borne by a poor beast of burden. But beasts of burden will never fulfil their function unless someone unties them, unless someone goes to them and announces “The Lord has need of you”. None of us would have Jesus carried into our lives if another person had not taken it upon themselves to bear the weight. Each of us must learn the art of bearing burdens, namely, the art of service. Service always involves carrying the burden of others instead of that of oneself. The Christian life is a life where we are called to bear burdens in this way. It is not important if we are beautiful, capable, or intelligent. What matters is that the Lord unties us from that which impedes us and teaches us how to act in the service of others.

We become important when we carry the Lord instead of ourselves

In the Gospel, the disciples place their mantles on the donkey and the animal takes on a beautiful aspect. We are unimportant for as long as we continue to be directed towards ourselves, but we become significant when we carry the Lord, when the Lord has need of us. What a beautiful thing to discover that the Lord needs us, that we are not useless! The yoke of the Lord is light and easy to bear. Often when we do things for the Lord, we receive thanks and blessings, even though it is really the Lord who accomplishes everything! The donkey in the Gospel must have marvelled at how everyone applauded him. Sometimes we are inclined to think that is we who are deserving of praise, but it is the one that we carry who must be praised alone. Once we learn to carry the Lord we must keep returning to these situations where we can serve to carry him.

We can only speak consolation to others when we learn how to listen to the Lord

The liturgy of Palm Sunday then turns to the events in which we learn of the One who truly carries the burden of all. Jesus had said in Chapter 8 of Mark: “He who wishes to be my disciple must carry his cross and follow me”. In the Gospel reading we see how he himself carries his cross and enters into a state of total service. In a very clear way, Jesus is presented as the servant of all in Mark’s Gospel. In Chapter 10 he says “I did not come to be served but to serve and to give my life in ransom for many”. This logic of service is presented in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah where we listen to the third song of the suffering servant. “The Lord has given me a disciple’s tongue so that I might know how to speak to those who are in despair”. To become beasts of burden of the Lord signifies being able to console the broken hearted. It is interesting that the servant has learned how to listen like a disciple and this is what enables him to speak consolation to others. Good teachers are those who were once good students. Often we try to be good teachers without having ever been good listeners or followers. We want to tell others what to do but we have no notion of true obedience ourselves.

Jesus does not turn away from suffering. He knows that the shame does not touch him inside. He places his trust in the Father who will deliver him

This servant offers his shoulders to those who flog him and his face to those who tear at his beard. He does not turn away from insults and spittle. In tribulation God is near. He does not turn away. We fear rejection and physical pain, but this servant of God has learned to find God in these things. The Lord comes to his aid, we are told, so that he will not be ashamed. We are quick to feel shame when we lose, when we are rejected, when things do not go our way. But the servant of the Lord has discovered that shame does not enter into his heart. He sets his face like stone and is not dismayed because he knows that the Lord will come to his aid. This Sunday we enter into the liturgy of Holy Week, the horror of the sufferings of Christ, illuminated by the light of the Resurrection. This is the Christian way. We poor beasts of burden carry with us the announcement of the victory of the Lord over all anguish. The Lord transforms all paths of sorrow and suffering into paths of life. Only he can do this.