Hosanna! Crucify Him

There is an uneasy union of feelings in today’s celebration: Is Palm Sunday the day of Jesus’ victorious procession into Jerusalem? Is it the day of his disastrous downfall? It is both. Today’s liturgy is a collision of glorious hosannas and somber omens. 

Let us ask ourselves: What is really happening in the hearts of those who acclaim Christ as King of Israel? Clearly, they had their own idea of the Messiah, an idea of how the long-awaited King promised by the prophets should act. Not by chance, a few days later, instead of acclaiming Jesus, the same crowd will cry out to Pilate: “Crucify him!”, while the disciples, together with others who had seen him and listened to him, will be struck dumb and will disperse. The majority, in fact, was disappointed by the way Jesus chose to present himself as Messiah and King of Israel. 

This is the question at the core of today’s feast. Who is Jesus of Nazareth for us? What idea do we have of the Messiah, what idea do we have of God? It is a crucial question, one we cannot avoid. We are called to follow our King who chooses the Cross as his throne. We are called to follow a Messiah who promises us, not an easy earthly happiness, but the happiness of heaven, divine beatitude. So we must ask ourselves: what are our true expectations? What are our deepest desires, with which we have come here today to celebrate Palm Sunday and to begin our celebration of Holy Week?