Gospel: (Matthew 21:1-11 and 26:14-27)
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply,’ The Master has need of them.’” …The crowds preceding him kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.”
After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
Vincentian Reflection
“The world has grown cold, it is for us Catholics to rekindle the vital fire which had been extinguished. It is for us to inaugurate the era of the martyrs, for it is a martyrdom possible to every Christian. To give one’s life for God and for one’s brothers (and sisters), to give one’s life in sacrifice, is to be a martyr. It is indifferent whether the
sacrifice be consummated at one moment, or whether slowly consuming, it fills the altar
night and day with sweet perfume. To be martyr is to give back to heaven all that one
has received, wealth, life, our whole soul.” – Bl. Frederic Ozanam -
(
Ramson, Praying with Frederic, p.103)
As we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we are reminded that Lent is coming to close and the Resurrection is nearing. What have you learned about yourself this Lent? What have you learned about your relationship with God?