Greetings,
Today is Palm Sunday. It is also the Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. The two can never really be separated, as the events of what we call Palm Sunday - the procession into Jerusalem accompanied by the praise of the people - are an integral part of the love, suffering and sacrifice of our Lord.
You shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God.
Leviticus 23:40
Fair and eloquent flowers
have the children strewn before the King:
the donkey was garlanded with them,
the path was filled with them;
they scattered praises like flowers,
their songs of joy like lilies.
Now too at this festival
does the crowd of children scatter for you, Lord,
praises like blossoms.
Blessed is he who was acclaimed by young children.
It is as though our hearing embraced
an armful of children’s voices,
while chaste songs, Lord,
fill the bosoms of our ears.
Let each of us gather up a posy of such flowers,
and with these let all intersperse
blossoms from their own piece of land,
so that, for this great feast,
we may plait a great garland.
Blessed is he who invited us to plait it!
Let the chief pastor weave together
his homilies like flowers,
let the priests make a garland of their ministry,
the deacons of their reading,
strong young men of their jubilant shouts,
children of their psalms,
young women of their songs,
chief citizens of their benefactions,
ordinary fold of their manner of life.
Blessed is he who gave us
so many opportunities for good!
Ephrem (Fourth century)
Yours & His,
DED
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