Acclaim Him King
Palm Sunday
Dear Saints,
Let's start with a few announcements:
I sent out my second robocall yesterday, and texted everyone with a link to it. You can find our Robo-Pastor Page here.
In that message I talked about our Palm Sunday celebration, which you can check out here.
The Outdoor Confessional is going strong. It was on the front page of the Beacon (I haven't seen it). But look, I knew the Outdoor Confessional when it was just a Home Depot shed. I even gave it its first webpage here.
I'm still streaming Mass live from the rectory chapel every day - including Sundays - at 8:00am. Find the links (and more) at our mission hub. Check out the end of this email for a look at our schedule for Holy Week liturgies.
Okay. Here's your robocalling pastor:
Palm Sunday is all about kingship.
Think of the excited crowd cheering, "Hosanna!" Theirs is a cry of exaltation. Jerusalem's liberation from Roman oppression, the people think, is now at hand. "Bring on the rule of Jesus, bring on the victory of Israel!" their voices echo.
But something is off. Jesus, it turns out, won't give the crowds what they want. Rather than being useful to the people's national and personal ambition, Jesus jeopardizes their plans. Better to kill him, they think, than to suffer further humiliation - and total political and military defeat - at enemy hands!
A penetrating question for us to consider is whether or not we can see ourselves in this crowd. Let me poke around a bit to help our reflection:
Is our life's focus God and his purposes, or is it the pursuit or enjoyment of wealth, comfort, pleasure, health, entertainment, success, power, or popularity?
Do we think that God exists to protect or promote what we value - our life, health, and wealth (or the life, health, and wealth of people we love)? Is my prayer all about what God can do for me?
Are we angry (with God) when things don't go our way?
In difficult times, do we turn to Jesus or to some other king (popularity, power, pleasure, ourselves, etc.) to give us what we "need"?
If you think of any more, please send them to me!
Jesus is Israel's true King, he is the Lord of all nations, and he is the rightful ruler of every human heart and life. But his rule is not a path to personal prosperity or even contentedness for his followers. As our King, we simply entrust ourselves to him and we follow him where and how he leads. The rest of the story is his to write.
This week Jesus walks the path of his passion, death, and resurrection. We join him by dying to ourselves so that we might rise with him to new life, lived totally for God and his purposes. When we cast aside imposter kings for the world's true King, greatness and glory await us!
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
PS Join us (streaming) this Holy Week:
Holy Thursday
Morning Prayer, 8:00am
Mass of the Lord's Supper, 7:30pm
Good Friday
Morning Prayer, 8:00am
The Celebration of the Lord's Passion, 3:00pm
Holy Saturday
Morning Prayer, 8:00am
Easter Vigil, 8:00pm
Easter Sunday
Mass: 8:00am
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Entry into Jerusalem by Pietro Lorenzetti, 1320