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Father Arthur’s Homily for Palm Sunday, April 5 – Hosanna!

“In these days there’s so much suffering. There’s a lot of fear.” Pope Francis’ thus began the Sacred Liturgy which he offered in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta on last Thursday morning. Then he went on:

“The fear of the elderly who are alone in nursing home, or hospitals, or in their own homes, and don’t know what will happen. The fear of those who don’t have regular jobs and are thinking about how to feed their children. They foresee they may go hungry. The fear of many civil servants. At this moment they’re working to keep society functioning and they might get sick. There’s also the fear, the fears of each one of us. Each knows what their own fears are. We pray to the Lord that He might help us to trust, and to tolerate and conquer those fears.”

Vatican News va/en/Pope Francis

My brothers and sisters that the Kingdom of God is for the poor. The Kingdom of God is for the poor because Jesus Christ Himself was poor. He was also weak. Even though today we remember about Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem to the words “Hosanna!” it does not change the fact He was poor and humble. Jesus knew that the crowd of people calling out “Hosanna” would soon turn against Him. He knew that his own friends, the Apostles, would abandon Him. He knew that He had only His Heavenly Father. Jesus was poor and humble, dependent entirely upon God, and he remained this way.

Venerable Louis of Granada once wrote that Jesus came “meek and mild seated on a donkey…God…appears among us meek and mild so that you will not flee from him, but will approach him. He wishes to vanquish your heart by the greatness of humility and the force of his love.”

My brothers and sisters, the power and strength of Jesus and His Church is different than human power and strength. The source of Jesus’ power and strength is in God-it is in the power of the Holy Spirit and the strength of Love.

My brothers and sisters, on this first day of Holy Week, I would like to invite you to take some time to reflect on Jesus’ humility and gentle strength. I would like to invite you to share with others your experience of Christ’s Love – the same Jesus Christ who, in His humility and poverty gave Himself up for us in this very Eucharist. Amen.

Father Artur Marat
Administrator