Re Open the Sacred Door

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today, Palm Sunday, brings texts which open the door and give us the prologue to the opportunity to revisit and relive the events of Jesus ascent to glory through  Passover, Passion and Resurrection as the Holy Week preceding Easter begins. The audio commentary of Friar Jude Winkler on the passages for today open the spectrum of tradition, history and deep symbolism which the authors of the Sacred Texts included for our prayerful consideration. The Son of God, fully human and fully Divine is fulfillment of the promise of Messiah, but not as the "New King David" conquering from a position of power which is the expectation of the crowds who celebrate His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Neither is He the zealous rebel who will draw the ire of the Roman occupiers and destroy the position of governance held by the religious authorities who would be charged with not controlling their tribe. He is described in the letter to the Philippians as the One who emptied Himself and took the position of slave to serve. This humble state is one from which clear and unambiguous instruction is given for intimacy with God. The Presence of His Body as real food and real drink is offered to be the deep intimacy of Christ with all. The admonitions to "stay awake" and serve others come clearly from the Passion Narrative. The extent of the Love for humanity is the witness of the Cross. God loves us to death. Open the door this week and open our Spirit to resonate with the Spirit of God as our bodies, minds and being revisit the Holy Week.