Today is a day of contradictions. Our 1st Gospel reading recounts how Jesus is hailed by the crowd as he rides into Jerusalem. They wave flowers or palm branches and call him the Son of David. Then we are reminded by the great prophet, Isaiah, what happened to the Suffering Servant of God, foreshadowing Jesus’ humiliation and death. Finally, we read Mark’s account of the passion and death of Jesus. In just a few short days the adoring crowd is hatefully calling for Jesus to be crucified. So, we need to place ourselves in the crowds. Don’t smugly think that if you cried out “Hosannah!
one day, you wouldn’t also cry “Crucify him!” I grapple with that every year and maybe so should you.
