9781644135945

The Easter Cycle
“Thy creatures serve Thee because they acknowledge Thee as their only Creator and God;
and Thy whole creation praises Thee, and Thy saints [the blessed martyrs] bless Thee; for
with fearless voice they confess the great name of Thy only-begotten Son before the kings
and powers of this world.” We take the palms in our hands to signify that we, too, are united
to Christ and His martyrs. We acknowledge Christ before the powers of the world, and
follow Him to martyrdom, victory, and resurrection. We are “the children of the Hebrews”
and we sing to Him our hosanna. We sing to Christ our King: Gloria, laus, et honor tibi sit
(“All glory, praise, and honor be to Thee, O King, Christ the Redeemer”). We rejoice today,
for we know that this entry into Jerusalem merely foreshadows His victorious entry into
the heavenly Jerusalem. We hurry to meet Him with palm branches in our hands, which
represent the good works which we have performed, our victories over sin, the flesh, and
the world. Seeing these, He will usher us in with Him into the heavenly bridal chamber to
an everlasting betrothal. The cross, and only the cross, can open to Christ the splendor of
heaven; neither can there be any other way of entry for us. Borne along by His strength, we
take up the cross, confident that we will be glorified with Him.
The way of victory is the road of the martyrs. With deep emotion we follow the
Church today in the words of the Epistle: “Brethren, let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal
with God; but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness
of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto
death, even to the death of the cross.” Thus the liturgy gives us a vivid picture of the humiliation
and the suffering of our Lord. The way of Christ is our way too. “My heart hath
expected reproach and misery; and I looked for one that would grieve together with Me,
but there was none” (Offertory). We, too, must share His disgrace and suffering, as we
have promised Him in our baptism. We attend the Mass now to accompany Him on the
way of suffering that lies before Him. “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto
death, even to the death of the cross.” May that be our way too. The Mass will supply us
with the courage and the strength to follow it.
Today Christ is greeted with a shout of joy; tomorrow He will hear the cruel mob cry,
“Let Him be crucified.” Today we receive the blessed palms in our hands, and the liturgy
explains to us the meaning of this action. But too many of us lay aside the spirit of martyrdom
when we lay down the palms that we have received. This is not the spirit of the
true follower of Christ.
“I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none. I sought
for one that would comfort me, and I found none.” Few are they who love the cross; but
many are they who hate Christ and His cross. He who loves not the cross cannot love the
crucified One.
Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, who didst cause our Savior to take upon Him our flesh and to suffer
death upon the cross that all mankind might imitate the example of His humility; mercifully
grant that treasuring the lessons of His patience, we may deserve to have fellowship in His
resurrection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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