Fr Marco Lazzaron
esus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village opposite, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat; untie it and bring it here. If any one asks you, “Why are you untying it?” you shall say this, “The Lord has need of it.”’ So those who were sent went away and found it as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ And they said, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it. And as he rode along, they spread their garments on the road. As he was drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’ (Lk 19:28-40)
Today we bless the palm and olive branches, a symbol of salvation since the dove brought an olive branch to Noah, on the ark, at the end of the flood. Today we pray for the end of wars that are like a “flood”, because they bring nothing but suffering. Today, we also celebrate, like that day in Jerusalem, that Jesus comes to visit us; that Jesus wants to enter in our “Jerusalem”. The olive branch indicates his coming to our home.
Jesus goes up to Jerusalem. He goes ahead even though he knows very well what awaits him, but he does it anyway, because he is convinced of the importance of what he is doing. After him, many Christians have carried on their mission even though they knew that they were going to meet martyrdom. It often happens today, but too little is said about it.
The colt was the mount of kings in times of peace, so the message that Jesus wants to give is that of a king who comes to visit his city in peace. Throwing cloaks on the colt is a way to make it more comfortable, but it is also a sign of trust in the sovereign. It is as if they were saying: “I give you my life. I want to follow you wherever you go, for better or for worse”. This is because the cloak represented the identity of the person, but it was also essential to get through the cold night.
It must have been a very beautiful moment for Jesus and his disciples. A much-anticipated moment, which seems to refute all the dire predictions that Jesus had made. But for us, who know how things turned out, it is disconcerting.
When I was in the Jerusalem, the priest responsible of the house where I was living, he spoke of the colt, which is basically a donkey, gray, stubborn, with many defects, but he brought Jesus into the world, he evangelized. So, if he did it, I can do it too and all of us can do it. This is our mission as Christians.