\u201cHosanna to\nthe Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in\nthe highest!\u201d Hosanna. This one word captures the very essence of Holy Week. So\nfor Palm Sunday, I would like to reflect on this one word which can bring\nconsolation in this time of trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saint\nRemigius says that the word \u201chosanna\u201d is literally a cry for salvation: \u201chosa\u201d\nmeans \u201csave\u201d, and \u201canna\u201d is added to make it a supplication to God. When the\ncrowds are crying out \u201chosanna to the Son of David\u201d and \u201chosanna in the\nhighest\u201d, they are asking \u201cthe Son of David\u201d to save them because He \u201ccomes in\nthe name of the Lord.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the\nGospel uses \u201chosanna\u201d as a cry of praise. The crowds proclaim the Lord Jesus to\nbe \u201cthe Son of David\u201d whose entrance into Jerusalem reveals that God\u2019s\nsalvation is near, hence, \u201chosanna in\nthe highest.\u201d Thus, \u201chosanna\u201d expresses both the distance and nearness of\nsalvation: the one who proclaims \u201chosanna\u201d praises God for the future salvation\nthat is being realized in the present moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yet,\nGod\u2019s definition of salvation differs from that of Jesus\u2019 contemporaries. For\nmany, salvation meant overthrowing the Romans and restoring the Kingdom of\nIsrael. But Jesus\u2019 definition of salvation is overthrowing the tyranny of sin\nand establishing the Kingdom of God. And instead of this occurring through the\npower of the sword, Jesus accomplishes this through the power of the cross.\nIndeed, the fact that Jesus processes into Jerusalem atop a donkey and colt\nmeans He enters not as a warrior-king but as the \u201cslave\u201d who \u201cwillingly\naccepted even death, death on a cross.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hosanna\nfinds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus, who is God\u2019s salvation in the flesh.\nBut Jesus is the saving God who obediently chooses the cross, knowing that the\nFather is near to Him when He does not feel the Father\u2019s presence as He cries\nout \u201cMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?\u201d So it is with us. We did not\nchoose this particular cross of losing the sacraments, self-isolation,\nunemployment, or the loss of loved ones. But let us take up the cry \u201chosanna\u201d,\npraising God who is our salvation, and asking Him to save us, to show His love\nfor us, in this difficult time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joseph Yuson<\/strong> \u2013 St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fot. Valentin Salja\/Unsplash.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Palm Sunday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-strona-glowna-najnowsze","category-strona-glowna-slider"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n