They proclaimed: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
(Hosanna in the Highest)
In his book Jesus of Nazareth from the Entry into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, Pope Benedict XVI offers a detailed analysis of Jesus Christ’s final week in Jerusalem. The book is part of a trilogy of books in which the late Pope delves deeply into the life of Jesus Christ, inviting the reader to the same. I have delved into the book and its companions many times, never getting far because I always find something new to reflect on.
In a recent reading, I was drawn to Pope Benedict’s connection of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem and our entering into our Eucharistic encounter with the Lord at mass. The words we hear the crowd proclaim as Jesus enters Jerusalem are familiar to us. We say them at every mass prior to the Eucharistic Prayer, which contains the words of institution over the bread and wine which becomes Christ’s Body and Blood. For the Jewish people, the word “Hosanna” had a Messianic implication, used to approach the nearing of the Messiah.
So how did these words find their way into the texts of our Holy Mass? Pope Benedict writes this,
For the infant Church, “Palm Sunday” was not a thing of the past. Just as the Lord entered the Holy City that day on a donkey, so, too, the Church saw him coming again and again in the humble form of bread and wine. The Church greets the Lord in the Holy Eucharist as the one who is coming now, the one who has entered into her midst.
Our worship this week leads us to Easter, the Resurrection of the Lord. Like the early church, we are not simply remembering an event of the past, but recognize that he continues to come, taking us up to the Cross and Resurrection. This is why we are compelled to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist every Sunday.
It is my prayer that this Holy Week will be a renewal of Eucharistic faith. I trust and believe that as we join the pilgrimage of Jesus on the Way of the Cross this week, our hearts and souls will be empowered to desire to make that pilgrimage each and every Sunday.
HOLY WEEK – This week is a unique opportunity to pray and worship in a profound and meaningful way. Please see the schedule posted around the church, in the bulletin, on our webpage and social media.
OPERATION RICE BOWL – Your Operation Rice Bowl money can be dropped off at the rectory office or placed in the collection basket and marked Operation Rice Bowl. Bills or checks only please.
RECONCILIATION MONDAY – Every parish in the Dioceses of Rockville Centre and Brooklyn, as well as the Archdiocese of New York, will have priests available for confessions this Monday. The goal of providing an extended time for priests to hear confessions on this day is to have as many people as possible celebrate the sacrament, especially those who have been away from Confession for a long, long time.
Peace,
