Luke 19:28-40, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Liturgy of the Word

Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14—23:56

The lessons for this Sunday are powerful. We start out with the gospel describing Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Then before our celebration has waned, we are thrust into the Passion story. From exhilaration to desperation, it is almost too much to bear in one short hour.

In the first gospel when we hear Jesus tell his disciples to say, “The Lord needs it,” he is referring to a colt to carry him into Jerusalem, on his way through Passion week to Good Friday and Easter. The “it” Christ Jesus needs today is you and me, to incarnate God’s love in the here and now, to carry into the world Christ’s message of new life.

Years ago, I read a charming book about this passage written from the colt’s point of view, what it was like to be called unexpectedly into service in the midst of all the hubbub of Passover crowds—that’s the Ignatian influence at work. In the Ignatian way of praying with scripture, we use the imagination to put ourselves in the story to experience it in our life today. Take some time and sit with the passage. Let it come alive for you. Try imagining you were one of the disciples sent for the colt, or the owners of the colt. What was the experience like—how did you feel? Perhaps you might choose to look at the scripture from the perspective of one of the multitude of disciples praising God along the way, or maybe one of the Pharisees cautioning Jesus. Let your reflection prepare you for the week to come, and all the weeks thereafter. The Lord needs YOU now.