In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
“This month shall be your beginning of months;” says the Lord.
it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. … Your lamb shall be without blemish … Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.’
Exodus 12:2–3, 5, 6
In this way, my brothers and sisters, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron to institute the Passover, to institute Pascha. On the fifth day before the Pascha all the People of God were to acquire a lamb.
We too are acquiring our Lamb and he is “without blemish.” He comes to us, here to the heavenly Jerusalem, as our King—not as so many kings of the earth who bring war and oppression but comes with Peace: “Fear not, daughter of Zion;” says the Lord of Hosts, “behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (Zacharias 9:9)
And what will be my response to this event, to this happening, to this wonder? Will I merely stand with the crowd and watch as the King of Peace goes by? Will you? Or will we make this our own? Will we let the incarnate Lord enter not only Jerusalem but his Temple? As the Apostle Paul tells us,
For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
2 Corinthians 6:16, Ezekiel 37:27
In other words, will I allow the Lord to take up his abode in my heart so that I am no mere observer but a participant in the divine action of God? Because if I can do this, if I can be myself the house of God, I will—in the words of the Apostle we have recently heard—“rejoice in the Lord always.” In times of joy and in times of sorrow, “rejoice in the Lord always.” In times of freedom and in times of oppression, “rejoice in the Lord always.” In times of peace and in times of war, “rejoice in the Lord always.” Because, dear brothers and sisters,
The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, enter into this mystery. Be no mere spectators at the edge but be yourself a resting place of the Lamb of God who comes to give himself as food for the faithful.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.
Amen.
Brethren, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.
— Philippians 4:4–9
Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.
— John 12:1–18