Hosanna!
Gospel: Mk 11:1-10 (First Reading)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032424.cfm
We start Jesus’s passion with Palm Sunday. It’s one week before his resurrection, but the disciples and people do not know this. Palm Sunday is Jesus’s last moment of glory with the people before he goes through the struggle of his passion. It shows us how fleeting earthly glory is. Things change very quickly when societal structures find a person guilty. As people praised Jesus on Sunday, people would call for his crucifixion on Friday.
But today, Jesus experiences the glory and people do not know what is about to come. The words they say get recited at every mass, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Hosanna: We say or sing this word, but what does it mean? There are different translations but simply put it means, “Save us, God.” It is a word of praise as it is also a call for salvation. It is a prayer. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Save us, God! The people in the towns surrounding Jerusalem knew Jesus for his healing power both physically and spiritually. He was able to heal the sick and forgive sins. The power that Jesus showed them that he was from God. It was not the kind of power that led to world domination, it was a power that healed individuals, communities, and relationships. God’s presence was made known through the actions of Jesus.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest! Save us, God! When we say these words in mass, we are showing gratitude to God the Father for sending us the Son, we are recognizing the divinity of Jesus, and we praying for our salvation. These are very simple words, but they can be very powerful if we let them resonate with us beyond just being words we’ve habituated.
Now visualize yourself as being present at the first Palm Sunday and how it must have felt to say those words after having encountered Jesus. Think of the lepper, the lame man, the woman at the well, the tax collectors, Lazarus, the woman caught in adultery, and the other people we’ve learned about over this season on Lent. Ponder what those words meant to each of them. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!
Now think of the words for yourself. What are some of the ways that you are grateful to God? What are some areas of your life that you feel need salvation? Pray those aloud or in the silence of your heart. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!
Take this into consideration when you say or sing these words at mass. They should not be something we merely recite, they should be something that connects us intimately with God through expressions of gratitude and need.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest! Save us, God!
