Day Seventeen of Lent – Entering into Jerusalem

REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Day Seventeen of Lent
Entering into Jerusalem

The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” Matthew 21:8-9

How wonderful that greeting was, just one week before, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem. He was greeted with much joy and exaltation. “Hosanna!” they cried out as they laid palm branches before Him. They treated Him as a king.

But now our Blessed Mother watched as her Son, the King of all Kings, mounted His glorious throne to distribute His grace and mercy upon the world. This was no earthly kingship. It was much greater. It was a Kingship of such spiritual power and authority that it superseded mere earthly strength. It was a Kingship dispensing salvation from the throne of the Cross.

The contrast between Palm Sunday and Good Friday was startling. Many were left in confusion. They were disillusioned as they saw Jesus’ life deteriorate from a glorious welcome into Jerusalem to carrying a cross out of the same city just days later. But our Blessed Mother and our Lord Himself saw things much differently. Their pain was mixed with the utmost joy and peace at the mounting of His throne. They both knew that Jesus would be exalted for all eternity and that the echoes of “Hosanna!” would reverberate forever in Heaven.

Jesus’ earthly death united Heaven and Earth. His Cross became the permanent bridge connecting, across all space and time, God the Father with all His children on Earth. Though Jesus’ death was painful, the sorrowful heart of our Blessed Mother would have brought Him much comfort as she continually cried out in silent adoration of her Son. As she gazed at Him, her Immaculate Heart continually proclaimed, “My Son, You are the King of All, Hosanna to You, dear Son! Hosanna to You, my Lord, my Son and my King! Hosanna in the highest!”

Reflect, today, upon this glorious song of praise. “Hosanna in the highest!” Speak this song as you gaze, with our Blessed Mother, upon the crucifix. See the crucifix as the Throne of Grace. See Jesus as the King of all Kings. Look with faith and love and peer under the veil of the blood and bruises. See the King and give Him eternal glory.

PRAYER

My dearest Mother, your gaze of love upon your Son looked beyond the earthly sufferings He endured and saw the glory of that sacred moment. You saw His sacrifice for what it was. It was the greatest act of mercy ever known.

My dear Mother, as you gazed upon your tender Son with much love, so also invite me into that gaze. Help me to see the glory of the Cross in every cross I endure. Help me to unite all sufferings to the Cross of your Son and to continually cry out, with you, “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!”

My Suffering Lord, You are the Great King of All. Pour forth upon me and upon the whole world the abundant grace won by Your Cross. Fill my heart with hope and faith as I gaze upon You. Draw me close to Your throne now and for all eternity.

40 Days Journey with Our Lord
Day Seventeen: Sacred Places

After the devil’s failed attempt to convince Jesus to satiate His physical hunger through a selfish use of His divine power, he took Jesus “to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple…” (Matthew 4:5). It’s interesting that the devil took Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem, to the top of the Temple for this second temptation. Why not take our Lord to a dreary and frightening place? Why take Him to such a holy place?

This temptation first reveals to us that the devil is able to tempt us, as He did our Lord, within the sacred places of our lives. He often tempts family members most fiercely within the “temple” of the family, which we refer to as the “domestic church.” The devil might tempt us as we engage in apostolic endeavors by which we are attempting to serve our Lord. And the devil certainly tempts us in the depth of our own consciences, our Lord’s interior dwelling place. To the devil, nothing is sacred; therefore, the more sacred the place, the more likely he will try to tempt us there.

By allowing Himself to be tempted from the parapet of the Temple, while looking out over the holy city of Jerusalem, our Lord especially defeated the evil one’s attack upon all that is holy, making it possible for us to reject the evil one’s temptations within the most sacred parts of our lives.

First, consider that which is most sacred in your life. For many, the family is that place. Within your family, God wishes to dwell in a special way, making your family a place in which God is honored and His will is fulfilled. In the coming reflections, we will see that this second temptation especially has to do with a form of pride. Pride is a sin that especially damages family life, and therefore, the rejection of this temptation will take place through humility.

Consider, also, the ways that God has called you to share in the apostolic mission of His Church. The devil despises the ways in which we further the mission of the Church, so he will especially try to hinder that mission by tempting the members of the Church with pride, serving the mission of the Church for selfish reasons and vainglory, rather than for the exclusive purpose of the salvation of souls.

Finally, consider your interior life of prayer. Your soul is God’s Temple. Within your soul, you encounter the presence of God and enter into union with Him. Therefore, the devil will try to cause confusion within your prayer life.

Ponder these three most sacred places that are a part of your life. Ponder your family, your participation in the Church, and your interior life of prayer. As you do, try to identify ways that the evil one has tempted you with pride. Our Lord allowed the evil one to take Him to the Temple, to look out over the holy city, as a way of coming to every sacred place within your life, to give you strength to overcome every temptation. Seek humility in those sacred places so that your eyes will be fixed upon our Lord and the love of others, not upon yourself or any form of vanity. Doing so will enable you to overcome this second temptation, just as our Lord did.

PRAYER

My humble Lord, You willingly cooperated with the irrational demand of the evil one, so that in Your humility, You could conquer his pride. Please fill my heart with humility, and eliminate every trace of the sin of pride in my heart. I pray that I will be able to imitate You more fully to be an instrument of freedom for others.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source: mycatholiclife