Hosanna: “God, Save Us!”

Welcome to Jerusalem and Holy Week. We have travelled together to Jerusalem on our yearly pilgrimage to the Holy City.

Today, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem through the Golden Gate, and today we spiritually enter with Him into the Holy City.

Palm Sunday is the portal, the gate through which we pass through into the most special week of the year and of our salvation.

This year we journey with St. Luke on our entrance today. Greg Biltz, a Phoenix student of scripture, beautifully explains the fascinating significance of the great events and drama of that first Palm Sunday: “The prophet Ezekiel had prophesied that the Messiah would enter through the Golden Gate (Ez 44:1–3). Zechariah says that the Messiah would enter the city riding a donkey and its foal (Zec 9:9), also prophesied in Gen 49:11.

As Jesus approached the city He was recognized by a group of zealots. They saw the famous miracle worker fulfilling two of the Messianic prophecies! They began shouting their battle cry: “Hosanna”; which as stated above means “God Save Us.”

They were hoping Jesus would be their Savior from the Romans. After all, Jesus was an established rabbi and holy man and now He was coming into Jerusalem through the Golden Gate, just as Ezekiel had foretold and He was riding in just as Zechariah and Genesis had foretold.

The Two Gates: “Meanwhile, Caiaphas had just left the city through the Damascus gate, the next “people” gate to the North and West of the Golden Gate, to select a lamb to be the sacrificial lamb that he would offer for the people. The people were waiting with palm fronds to shout Hosanna (God Save us) when Caiaphas returned with the lamb. Their shouting and palm waving would signify their acceptance of the lamb as the sacrifice for all. When they heard the shouting of “Hosanna” coming from the Golden Gate (the next gate to the right) they hurried through the temple area to the Golden Gate, thinking Caiaphas had returned that way.

When they saw Jesus, and were told of the fulfilled prophesies, they joined the chorus in the celebration of Jesus, the Messiah!” (Greg Biltz, Holy Week Events In the Year 33 AD)

This week is literally the summit of Lent and we must use these days well to show that we are faithful followers of Jesus, following Jesus the Messiah every step of the way.

On Holy Thursday we will celebrate the Last Supper, in which Jesus leaves us his Body and Blood, and His commandment of love.

On Good Friday, April 15th, we will go with Him to his Passion and Death.

On the morning and during the day of Holy Saturday, there will be a day of mourning, but that night, at the Easter Vigil, we will recall His passage from death back to life, and we will renew our baptismal commitments and celebrate two baptisms at the great Vigil Mass.

Fr. Kilian, Fr. Samuel, our Deacons and our Parish Staff and Volunteers.

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