On Palm Sunday we join in the welcome for Jesus into Jerusalem, we raise our palm branches for Christ the King and sing Hosanna! As he comes riding into the city on a colt. The people are lining the streets, a joyful atmosphere abounds. Here is the King coming into their city. It is a triumphant moment for Jesus, for his disciples and for the people who come out to greet him.
It is easy to forget this time of joy as we move into the Gospel of the day and recall the Passion and death of Christ – we move from triumph to tragedy very quickly.
The Passion of our Lord is moment where hatred is all around, where death is looming, and fear spreads among the disciples. Jesus though, seems in many ways to accept what is happening – what is being said about him, and how he is being questioned by the authorities. It leads to Peter denying him, the disciples falling asleep and then reacting and cutting the ear of one of the soldiers. How could it go from such joy and triumph to this tragedy when in the space of a few days the walk is not made in joy but rather in sadness as we accompany Jesus up the hill of Calvary to his death on the cross. Triumph has so quickly become tragedy.
Holy Week offers us a few days of reflection on these two words – triumph and tragedy. And yet if we think back over the last three years of his public ministry Jesus has moved many people to thinking and living differently, he has challenged the law to bring love and compassion to many. These are triumphs…and yes they lead ultimately to the tragedy that is his passion and death on the cross…not that we want suffering for him…but that through his suffering we will join again in the triumph when we celebrate Resurrection and can again welcome Christ the King!
Karen OSU