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Palm Sunday, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" John 12:13. Today's Gospel Lesson is replete with profound psychological notions, in which proportionately we see ourselves.
Just try to visualize what happened about 2000
years ago in Yes, the Lord Jesus did come to free His fellow Judaeans, and subsequently to spread His Kingdom --- not with weapons of war, but with a mightier weapon, --- that is, the invincible weapon of Christian love. As King, He would grant them their freedom; ---- the freedom from the great burden of sin, which was a far greater servitude, than that, which they suffered under the rule of the Romans. As King, He was to spread His Kingdom throughout the world. Yes, the Lord did come to subjugate humankind, but not to make people slaves; He came to make His followers truly free, and to declare that all people are created equal in the eyes of God.
The Lord's fame and popularity was widespread.
Those, who had never seen Him, nor had witnessed any of His many miracles, had
heard of Him, and considered Him a great Prophet. Most had heard of His last
miracle of raising Lazarus from the Grave, four days
after his burial. The Lord's fame triggered a spontaneous enthusiasm when it
became known that He was to come to
Jesus did come to
Praising Jesus, they waved
their palm branches. Some even spread their tunics on the ground so the Glorious
King could ride over them. His entry into the Before mentioning the category of the individuals, who one day herald and pay tribute, and the next day they virtually ask for blood, I would like to mention two individuals from the Gospels, who represent a sizeable section of today's society.
1. Shortly before the Lord
entered Thus, Mary represents those who are totally dedicated to Christ, without any compromising of their faithfulness. 2) In this great drama of the Lord's life, Judas the Iscariot played a leading role. He was in God's presence, but his heart and soul were not moved. Love, the cardinal virtue was simply a word for him, to always be used selfishly, for himself. It was an egotistical love, --- it was a selfish love, --- and most assuredly it was a perverted love. When Judas saw that most valuable myrrh being poured on the Lord's feet, very excitedly he said: "Should not this myrrh be sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor?" He did not say this because he cared for the poor, but it was for his benefit. He was the treasurer of the Disciples, and would take the money for his appropriation. Unfortunately, the Judas types are not absent from society. They are those, who live selfishly only for themselves, without any feeling for their fellow humans; they measure all things with their own measure of their personal benefit. They are those, who while being economically wealthy, at the same time they are spiritually impoverished, because man was not created to live alone, and no less selfishly. But, there is a third category besides that of Mary and Judas. These people are neither dedicated, as was Mary, nor corrupt and stone-hearted as was Judas. In this category are those, who vacillate according to circumstances. On the one hand we witness their enthusiasm for some cause, and a little later we see them opposing that, which they had espoused. We could safely say, that they are part of the mob psychology, similar to the Jews, who one day were enthusiastically cheering the Lord and saying: "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord," and days later were shouting: "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Each Christian must ask himself or herself, as to which category they belong. I would hope, that all would be in Mary's category. Thank God that there are many like Mary, but unfortunately there are those, who lean toward Judas, and still others who belong to the third category, who cannot be dependent upon, to stabilize their character for the good. This, we witness in our Churches during Holy Week. We see people filling our Churches. They will be emotionally moved. They will even be moved to tears witnessing the Lord's Passion. They will openly say, that it is proper and worthy to sacrifice for the common good, since Christ suffered for us on the Cross to become a ransom for many. However, after the triumph and glory of the Lord's resurrection, these Christians will gently slide from the discipline that they were imposing in their mind during Holy Week, and once again they will follow their former routine. Our Lord wants us to be firm and dedicated, as was Mary. And to achieve this noble state, is strictly our own decision. I always remember the power of the Lord, in so many instances, and how He influences people, providing they choose to follow Him. I refer to a definite case after World War II, which surprised the whole world. Svetana, the daughter of the merciless Dictator of Russia Stalin, sought to be baptized an Orthodox Christian . She responded to the Lord's invitation to follow Him. In an interview she stated, that it was impossible for anyone to live normally without God deeply in one's heart.
So it is, that
although she was only one soul, her conversion must have contributed somewhat to
the fall of Bolshevism, which tried for so many decades to annihilate Orthodox
Christianity in
I've mentioned this before and repeating it
again. One of the most powerful and dramatic drawings I have, portrays Christ
figure as tall as the The Lord also is always knocking on the door of our soul, and it is up to us, if we are going to open it to receive Him with fervor and to say: "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!" Amen. + Fr. George Papadeas
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