Live the Liturgy
Inspiration for the Week

What an ironic twist of events!  Jesus is hailed with palm branches as he comes down a street one minute and faces agonizing suffering and death on a cross the next.

Does any of this make any sense?  They shouted, "hosanna to our King," out of one side of their mouths and, "crucify him," out of the other.  At first glance, it seems like such a hypocrisy.  Yet, when we step back, there may be more truth to the story than we care to admit.

We struggle with Jesus.  We hail him in our churches, but we struggle to figure out what to do with him on our streets.  We are fine when we hear pious renderings of his messages and preaching, but we wince when it gets to the part about changing the way we conduct business and becoming more sensitive to the disadvantaged, poor, and marginalized.  We invoke God's name when we want victory and keep silence when it comes to global solidarity.

We talk out of both sides of our mouths, too, looking only to what works our suits us at the time and leaving the rest.  There exists in each one of us a person who hails our King with hosannas and a person who is all too willing to choose Jesus over Barabbas for the cross.  Something to think about this Holy Week!