Blessing of the Palms

Centuries ago, as Jesus prepared to enter into the city of Jerusalem in triumph, the people came out to meet him.  Who can say precisely why they gathered around him?  Some, no doubt, wanted simply to see him.  Others surely wanted to hear what he would say.  Still others perhaps came out only to see what the commotion was about.

Today we, too, have come to gather around “the king who comes in the name of the Lord.”  But why have we come?  What are the motives of our hearts?  Some among us have no doubt come because we truly want to meet Jesus the Christ.  Pope Francis has given us an urgent invitation.  He says:

“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least to an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day.  No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.”

Dear sisters and brothers, like the crowds who acclaimed Jesus in Jerusalem, let us go forth in peace.

Paul A. Magnano