Thursday, March 21, 2013

Sunday Gospel Reflection: March 24, 2013 ~ The stones will cry out...



In Luke’s version of the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, which we hear at the beginning of Mass this Sunday—Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord—there are no palms.  What’s up with that?  Instead, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road – a sign that the people are interpreting Jesus’ entrance as a king’s entrance.  Indeed, they announce this by saying, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, explicitly recognizing Jesus’ majesty.  Even Jesus’ procurement of the donkey to ride into the city is redolent of kingship:  only a king had a right to appropriate another’s property in a moment of need.  The Pharisees themselves are troubled by the crowd’s reaction to Jesus’ entry into the city, ordering him to rebuke his disciples; they are concerned about what the Roman authorities would have to say about this man who, for all intents and purposes, is entering the city as King, a Messianic entrance.  To the Pharisees’ way of thinking, Jesus is messing with the order of things, and represents a cause for alarm.

Now, Jesus knows the Pharisees have rejected him.  They aren’t ready to recognize him; their hearts are not open to receiving the truth that Jesus has brought to Jerusalem.  Yet Jesus will not tell his disciples to be quiet:  I tell you, if they keep silent, the very stones will cry out!  Even inanimate objects, Jesus suggests, can give witness to something the Pharisees cannot.  A lack of belief doesn’t change the truth:  Jesus, the Messiah, triumphantly brings salvation to Israel.  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest, the people cry:  echoing the angels at Jesus’ birth, their acclamation highlights the fact that Jesus has come full circle.  But now it is peace in heaven rather than peace on earth, for Jesus’ time in Jerusalem will be fraught with tension.

As Lent comes to an end, are our hearts open to receiving the truth of salvation?
Are we ready to recognize Jesus' reign over our hearts?
Or will the stones cry out in our stead?

This reflection is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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