Palm Sunday (B)

Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!”

Mk 11:1-10

The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem must have caught the attention of the people for two reasons. One, it was a grand entry. People were almost proclaiming him as the Messiah. Second, the grand welcome accorded him was incongruous with the ass on which he was riding. He should have been riding a horse.

But by riding on an ass, Jesus seemed to be telling the people that he was a not a Messiah who was like a Roman general who would force people into submission. He was a Messiah who would only rule those who would willingly accept him.

This was precisely what the painting “The Light of the World” wanted to say. In that painting Christ is holding a lighted lantern on his left hand while knocking at the door with his right. What is curious about the painting is that the door has no outside handle. It can only be opened from within. Christ does not impose him-self on us. He waits for us to open the door to him.

There are many opportunities by which we can open the door of our lives and welcome Jesus in: in the blessing of our houses and cars, in Holy Communion, in the vicissitudes of life and in what is called the second conversion.

When our houses are blessed, we ask Jesus to come into our homes and be-come part of the family. His presence brings us blessings such as security, health, mutual love, and protection from evil.

When our cars are blessed, we ask Jesus to come and keep us company as we go our way. His presence will keep us safe.

When we receive Communion, we receive Jesus. He comes to us. How do we welcome him? We welcome him with humility. And for this we pray: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you.” We welcome him with love, that is, we receive him not out of habit but with conscious desire. We welcome him with attention, that is, without distraction. And we welcome him with faith. Our “Amen” must be a convinced “Amen”.

And after we have received him, it is but right that we do not leave our guest alone. We have to keep him company. We keep on praying to him, that is, we keep on talking to him.

First Holy Communion is not just one of those Catholic rituals in the life of Catholic child. St. John Bosco believed in its positive influence in later life. He says that we must make sure that it is Jesus who takes possession of the heart of a child. And by preparing him well for First Holy Communion, we make sure that it is Jesus and not the devil who gain entry into his heart. And when that happens, we are almost assured of a good man in later life.

The Old Testament speaks of God visiting his people. And when he does, he brings either punishment or a blessing. The Exodus from Egypt was a great bless-ing for his people while the Exile to Babylon was a great punishment.

When God comes to visit us, we must welcome him with faith. That is, we must believe that his visit will ultimately do us good, even if in the beginning it doesn’t appear that way.

Because of the global financial crisis, many workers are losing their job. A relative of ours in the States is in danger of being laid-off. His wife and kids have been praying hard. One relative have called and told him that if worse comes to worse, he and his family are welcome to stay with them. There have already been two rounds of lay-offs. He has survived both. And he thinks it is because of the prayers of his two young children. Whatever happens, he is sure that God is pre-paring something good for him and his family.

Baptism has been called the first conversion. There is also what is called the second conversion. This happens when a person makes a serious decision to live his Christian faith seriously. This does not only mean doing good and avoiding evil. Most of all this means a more serious relationship with God.

He will no longer treat God as if he were a fire extinguisher. He will not bring God into the picture only when there is a problem. Instead, he will welcome God as a permanent presence in his life.

St. Dominic Savio as a young boy was not afraid of walking some kilometres to school alone because he said that Jesus was with him. In fact, he called Jesus his friend.

St. John Bosco was two years old when his father died. He left his wife with three children and his old and sickly mother. At his death bed, he told his wife to have confidence in God. For Francis Bosco God was not someone up there. He was down here in the midst of people.


God knocks. He wants to come and become a part of our lives. He will not force his way in. He waits. It is up to us to open and let him come in.