Readings: Isaiah 50,4-7, Philippians 2, 6-11, Luke 8, 7. 14-23, 56
Today the Church celebrates the entry of Christ into Jerusalem in order to accomplish his paschal mystery. This Sunday is called Palm or passion Sunday. While Palm signifies royalty and triumph, passion Sunday signifies both suffering and love. By freely going to jeru, Christ demonstrates his humility and willingness to save us.
A very important lesson we must learn from the readings is that, as life unfolds it presents us with its different dimensions. The same people who sing our praise in good times might be the same people to castigate us in future. Today, the same people to shout: "Crucify him! This is the mystery and dialectics of life. It’s a mystery because at times understanding it is beyond our imagination. It is dialectical because these two aspects of life help us to understand who we truly are, and what we mean to people.
Our gospel today is on the last supper of Christ with his disciples, St the last supper Christ humbled himself by serving his disciples and eating at the same time table with the one who was to betray him. “ And yet behold the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me is with me on a table.” In spite of all these, he taught his disciples to humble themselves just as he humbled himself before Pilate and the chief priests even till death.
In all of these, the lesson for us today is that humility is very important in all circumstances of life. This includes both at good and bad times. Christ was strong, but he humbly became weak for our salvation. He taught us that humility is one of the most important virtues we need for our service and mission.
During his triumphant entry Christ rode on a colt which symbolizes humility. In his suffering Christ abandoned himself to his enemies without resistance or striking back. Let us therefore pray this Sunday that the almighty God May grant us the humility with which to follow and serve Christ all the days of our life.