[Pearls Ep 165: Answering atheism Tuesday.]
We encounter two crowds in the Gospel account of Palm Sunday.
And one fallen nature.
The first crowd were Jesus’ disciples, and they hailed his entry – “Hosanna in the highest!” The other crowd were the elites of the city, gathered in the courtyard for Pilate’s kangaroo court. They called out for Jesus’ crucifixion.
The two crowds had something in common.
Neither dared approach Jesus on His cross.
It’s deep in our fallen human nature to avoid the cross – to look for easier ways out. That aversion becomes magnified at the societal level. That’s why we have,
- Unbridled spending and crushing debt.
- Rampant “no fault” divorce.
- The scourge of abortion at all stages, even post-delivery.
- Legalization and legitimization of suicide with so-called “death with dignity” bills.
Each of those are examples of a society seeking the easy way out.
Yes, they are packaged with words like “compassion,” and “justice,” and “safety,” and “liberty.” But at the core, all of them are attempts to avoid the cross.
At the start of Jesus’ ministry satan tried to get Him to avoid the cross. During Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, satan tempted him with three alternatives to the cross – three easy ways out. Jesus refused and sent the enemy packing.
The way of the cross isn’t easy. But it’s glorious. Again we turn to St. Paul, by way of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, “Hence St. Paul exclaimed, that he wished for no other delight or glory than the Cross of the Redeemer.”
And, again, we can turn to a different set of experts on what happens when we attempt to avoid the cross; we can ask Judas, or Pilate, or Herod.
The problem is that we don’t have it in us, with our fallen nature, to truly embrace our crosses on our own. It requires grace. Something our post-Christian society is sorely lacking.
And that’s why it’s so important that we continue in our prayers and offerings for our country, which is looking more and more like the crowds of Jerusalem with each passing day.
Holy Week blessings –
Steve and Karen Smith
Postscript: Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem Mt 21:1-11
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.”
This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
Say to daughter Zion, “Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.”
And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”