Hosanna
If Palm Sunday could be summed up into a single word, it would be “Hosanna.” We not only hear this word shouted by the crowds in the Gospel before the procession, but we are also meant to sing this word as we process into the church with our palms. This Hebrew word could be literally translated into a directive or a plea to be saved, as in “save us” or “please save”. Yet, in this first Gospel reading, the shout of Hosanna seems to be joyful - the crowds joyfully asked Christ to save them as they welcomed him into the city, but in only a matter of days, these same voices would be crying for him to be crucified. They were completely unaware that Christ was saving them, exactly as they requested when he entered into the holy city.
Another unique aspect of the Palm Sunday Mass is the direct participation of the congregation. While it is true that there are responses in any Mass in which the congregation can participate in, we are usually ultimately witnessing the Mass being celebrated for us by the priest. This includes the proclamation of the Gospel; when the priest or deacon is at the ambo reading the Gospel, this is believed to be a literal and physical manifestation of the Word of God. But on this day, the Gospel that is read when we are in the church looks different: it takes place as a narrative, in which there are different parts. The one who serves as the narrator does not proclaim “The Lord be with you.” The priest, who is usually the one who shares the Gospel with us, now only serves as the voice of Christ as we recall the passion narrative. And finally, we act as a voice in the narrative. We are the ones who shout “crucify him.” These same voices were the ones who only minutes ago were shouting “Hosanna.” We sometimes have a tendency to read the Gospels and see protagonists and antagonists - the protagonists are the ones who believed and followed Christ, and the antagonists are the ones who rejected him and had him killed. As Christians, it’s easiest for us to place ourselves in the position of the protagonists, but our participation in the Palm Sunday liturgy reminds us that we are just as capable of being the voice of the crowd, the same ones who once implored Christ to save them, then immediately demanded that he be put to death. This is not meant to shame us or to use this day to blame ourselves; rather, it is meant to remind us why Christ came to save and why he came to die: so that we may have our sins forgiven through a perfect sacrifice, which he willingly took upon himself for us.
Hosanna is a fascinating word. Even in the context of Christ, we can truly understand the complexity of its usage, that it is simultaneously a word of desperation, a cry for help, a term of praise, a joyful welcoming. We brought Christ into the holy city as if he were a king. But in a matter of days, that king was instead crowned with thorns and displayed in what was to be a humiliating position for all to see. In our own lives, even though we may accept Christ as our savior, our tendency to continuously fall back into sin means our voice is the same voice as those who were at his entrance and at his death. We cannot change that fact. However, we can express our gratitude and joy that Christ so greatly loved us that he was willing to go to his death just so that we may be forgiven and saved. Joyfully shout Hosanna as you enter the church in procession today. Embrace the desperation of shouting hosanna as he goes to his death in the passion. Remember that our faith is ultimately one of joy, but it became joyful because Christ saved us by offering himself, for no other reason than his love for us.
Today's Readings:
