“The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!’” (Jn 12:12-13)
Today is Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion and the beginning of Holy Week. We remember the day Jesus descended from the Mount of Olives and entered into Jerusalem. He proceeded into the holy city to offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
As he rode in on a borrowed donkey, making public his claim as the Messiah, the crowds shouted in cries of joy and praise. These words have inspired the Church for centuries. Known as the Sanctus, a part of the Eucharist Prayer, Christians have sung the end of this verse since before the fourth century.
The Sanctus, listed below, hints at a juxtaposition innate in the mystery of the Incarnation: Jesus as divine as expressed in the first stanza and Jesus as man, riding on a donkey, in the second.
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts
Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest”
Like in the Sanctus, greatness and human frailty often co-exist in our life. However, Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension sanctified the human form and opened a path to eternal life for all who chose to follow his way. As we embark on Holy Week, may we enter into the final days of Jesus’ life and emerge joyous and renewed at Easter.