The story of Palm Sunday has a twinge of irony, in my opinion. Throughout Jesus' life and ministry, He was often among his followers, treating them as His equals and welcoming all. On Palm Sunday, though, the day that Jesus
was
truly treated like a king, He weeps because He knows that in five days' time, He will be crucified.
Rather than revel in the moment of earthly happiness, or draw pride from the celebration of His many worshippers, Jesus keeps His mind on his sacrifice. This sacrifice, though unfathomably painful for Him, will save all of these disciples who welcome Him.
When given such exaltation from our peers, it is easy to turn from God, thinking that we do not need Him anymore, forgetting that everything that is given to us comes through Him. Conversely, when put into such pain as Jesus was, some may perceive that God has abandoned them, and thus turn away then as well.
In everyone's lives, there are wonderful times and horrible times - the Palm Sundays and the Good Fridays of our life, so to speak. There are times when we forget or doubt God. Even Jesus, hanging on the cross, asked God why He had forsaken Him.
Throughout all of these times, though, good and bad and in between, we must keep our Easter Sunday in mind. As the Bible says many times, nothing on Earth is as great as what awaits us in heaven. During the bad times, we must not think that God has forgotten us, and during the good times, we must not forget God, because at the end of it all, there is only God, promising eternal happiness.
Grace McDermott
Parish Office Weekend Staff
