“Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest!” Hosanna. This one word captures the very essence of Holy Week. So for Palm Sunday, I would like to reflect on this one word which can bring consolation in this time of trial.
Saint Remigius says that the word “hosanna” is literally a cry for salvation: “hosa” means “save”, and “anna” is added to make it a supplication to God. When the crowds are crying out “hosanna to the Son of David” and “hosanna in the highest”, they are asking “the Son of David” to save them because He “comes in the name of the Lord.”
But the Gospel uses “hosanna” as a cry of praise. The crowds proclaim the Lord Jesus to be “the Son of David” whose entrance into Jerusalem reveals that God’s salvation is near, hence, “hosanna in the highest.” Thus, “hosanna” expresses both the distance and nearness of salvation: the one who proclaims “hosanna” praises God for the future salvation that is being realized in the present moment.
And yet, God’s definition of salvation differs from that of Jesus’ contemporaries. For many, salvation meant overthrowing the Romans and restoring the Kingdom of Israel. But Jesus’ definition of salvation is overthrowing the tyranny of sin and establishing the Kingdom of God. And instead of this occurring through the power of the sword, Jesus accomplishes this through the power of the cross. Indeed, the fact that Jesus processes into Jerusalem atop a donkey and colt means He enters not as a warrior-king but as the “slave” who “willingly accepted even death, death on a cross.”
Hosanna finds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus, who is God’s salvation in the flesh. But Jesus is the saving God who obediently chooses the cross, knowing that the Father is near to Him when He does not feel the Father’s presence as He cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” So it is with us. We did not choose this particular cross of losing the sacraments, self-isolation, unemployment, or the loss of loved ones. But let us take up the cry “hosanna”, praising God who is our salvation, and asking Him to save us, to show His love for us, in this difficult time.
Joseph Yuson – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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