Hosanna! A Cry for Salvation...
Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Family
Theme The Day He Proclaimed Himself King
March 29, 2015
Homily by Fr. Charles Atayde
Liturgy of Palms Mark 11:1-11
First Reading Zechariah 9:9-13
Second Reading Revelation 19:11-16
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 118: 15-16, 25-29
Gospel John 12:12-16
"Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Palm Sunday always fascinated me when I was younger. In the town where I grew up, people took Palm Sunday seriously. They would bring intricately designed palms to church and I'd look at them one by one and it would excite me. There'd be this joyful and festive feel in the air with all those palms being waved and Hosannas being shouted. To me, as a kid...it was entertaining.
But what does it mean to me now, as an adult?
In the homily yesterday, Fr. Charles said that Palm Sunday prepares us for the Holy Week and keeps our eye on the proclamation. This confused me a little bit when I was younger. Weren't we just rejoicing? Why are we crucifying Him now?
But alas,all this had to happen to fulfill the will of the Father.This is so the perfect gift of salvation could be given to the world. As a matter of fact, "Hosanna," the word that the people were shouting as Jesus approached Jerusalem, actually meant "I beg you to save us" or "Please deliver us!" I have always thought of it more as a "Hallelujah" rather than a cry for salvation. But its etymology comes from combining the Hebrew words yasha ("deliver, save") and anna ("beg, beseech.") Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/hosanna.html
In Jesus' triumphant entry going to Jerusalem where people welcomed him with waved palms and shouts of Hosannas and them putting their cloaks on the ground where He would pass by, one particular detail stood out in all of it. He rode a donkey, not a stallion. The donkey is a symbol of peace - and this symbolism is important on several levels.The donkey is the animal that is often used to mock and ridicule others. But in this case, Jesus turned it upside down by lifting up the lowly. This donkey became the sacred throne not only for a King, but for the Son of God.
In yesterday's homily, Fr, Charles said that there are two things to be learned from this week: Humility & Love. In Philippians 2:8, we are reminded that Jesus Christ humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. (NLT)
Jesus Christ on the cross is the perfect picture of Humility & Love.
How can we apply this in our lives? Here are two things to remember.
1. Humility is total submission and 100% trust in the Lord
2. Humility is NOT easy. It is a COMPLETE & TOTAL SURRENDER to God which means letting go of our own personal agendas in life and allowing Him to move in and through us.
This is not easy. We have been given the wonderful gift of Free Will and most of the time, because of that, we get ourselves into situations we shouldn't be in. We develop a certain stubbornness and unconsciously (or even sometimes consciously) we argue with God and insist on our own ways. Humility means we acknowledge that we cannot do it on our own and that we need Him and only in Him can we be 100% dependent.
There will always be a time of breaking and dealing and with it comes pain. But with it also comes VICTORY. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had to endure pain and suffering and humiliation but in the end the perfect gift of salvation was given to the world. It truly was the greatest act of LOVE for mankind.
So how can we emulate love through our life this Holy Week?
Our love for God should be greater than anything- that we would be willing to give up anything to fulfill the will of God in our lives.THERE WILL BE PAIN. But everything will be fine. It will be a good kind of pain, because when everything is stripped off from us, we will begin to develop a total trust and dependence on the Lord.
And it's okay. 2 Peter 1:3 says "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence." (ESV)
With what the Lord has already given us, we don't really need anything else. Our God is more than enough, and we should be able to stop doubting that.
Have a blessed Holy Week ahead.
Theme The Day He Proclaimed Himself King
March 29, 2015
Homily by Fr. Charles Atayde
Liturgy of Palms Mark 11:1-11
First Reading Zechariah 9:9-13
Second Reading Revelation 19:11-16
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 118: 15-16, 25-29
Gospel John 12:12-16
"Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Palm Sunday always fascinated me when I was younger. In the town where I grew up, people took Palm Sunday seriously. They would bring intricately designed palms to church and I'd look at them one by one and it would excite me. There'd be this joyful and festive feel in the air with all those palms being waved and Hosannas being shouted. To me, as a kid...it was entertaining.
But what does it mean to me now, as an adult?
In the homily yesterday, Fr. Charles said that Palm Sunday prepares us for the Holy Week and keeps our eye on the proclamation. This confused me a little bit when I was younger. Weren't we just rejoicing? Why are we crucifying Him now?
But alas,all this had to happen to fulfill the will of the Father.This is so the perfect gift of salvation could be given to the world. As a matter of fact, "Hosanna," the word that the people were shouting as Jesus approached Jerusalem, actually meant "I beg you to save us" or "Please deliver us!" I have always thought of it more as a "Hallelujah" rather than a cry for salvation. But its etymology comes from combining the Hebrew words yasha ("deliver, save") and anna ("beg, beseech.") Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/hosanna.html
In Jesus' triumphant entry going to Jerusalem where people welcomed him with waved palms and shouts of Hosannas and them putting their cloaks on the ground where He would pass by, one particular detail stood out in all of it. He rode a donkey, not a stallion. The donkey is a symbol of peace - and this symbolism is important on several levels.The donkey is the animal that is often used to mock and ridicule others. But in this case, Jesus turned it upside down by lifting up the lowly. This donkey became the sacred throne not only for a King, but for the Son of God.
In yesterday's homily, Fr, Charles said that there are two things to be learned from this week: Humility & Love. In Philippians 2:8, we are reminded that Jesus Christ humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. (NLT)
Jesus Christ on the cross is the perfect picture of Humility & Love.
How can we apply this in our lives? Here are two things to remember.
1. Humility is total submission and 100% trust in the Lord
2. Humility is NOT easy. It is a COMPLETE & TOTAL SURRENDER to God which means letting go of our own personal agendas in life and allowing Him to move in and through us.
This is not easy. We have been given the wonderful gift of Free Will and most of the time, because of that, we get ourselves into situations we shouldn't be in. We develop a certain stubbornness and unconsciously (or even sometimes consciously) we argue with God and insist on our own ways. Humility means we acknowledge that we cannot do it on our own and that we need Him and only in Him can we be 100% dependent.
There will always be a time of breaking and dealing and with it comes pain. But with it also comes VICTORY. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had to endure pain and suffering and humiliation but in the end the perfect gift of salvation was given to the world. It truly was the greatest act of LOVE for mankind.
So how can we emulate love through our life this Holy Week?
Our love for God should be greater than anything- that we would be willing to give up anything to fulfill the will of God in our lives.THERE WILL BE PAIN. But everything will be fine. It will be a good kind of pain, because when everything is stripped off from us, we will begin to develop a total trust and dependence on the Lord.
And it's okay. 2 Peter 1:3 says "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence." (ESV)
With what the Lord has already given us, we don't really need anything else. Our God is more than enough, and we should be able to stop doubting that.
Have a blessed Holy Week ahead.
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