Episode Transcript
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Welcome to the Blessed Sacrament Homilies podcast, where our mission is to help everyone recognize and experience the presence of God. We hope you are nourished and encouraged by the Word. Thank you for joining us.
[00:00:27] Speaker B: The Lord be with you and with your spirit. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: Glory to you, O Lord.
[00:00:34] Speaker B: Jesus proceeded on his journey to Jerusalem, and as he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. He said, go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone should ask you, why are you untying it? You will answer, the Master has need of it.
So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them.
And as they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, why are you untying the colt?
They answered, the Master has need of it.
So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount.
As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road. And now, as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God loudly with joy for all the mighty deeds that they had seen.
They proclaimed, blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, teacher, rebuke your disciples.
He said in reply, I tell you, if they kept silent, the stones will cry out the Gospel of the Lord.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:02:22] Speaker B: Several times a year, be it in the sacrament of penance or just in casual conversation, I've had people say to me, I just don't feel worthy of God's love.
And they're usually moderately shocked by my response because it's, well, you're not.
But then I follow it up with, nobody is, but that's how our God is.
And here in this story of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the people were fawning all over him. They had seen the miracles he'd performed. They had been enthralled with what he had to say and how he opened up the Scriptures, speaking with authority, and they couldn't praise him enough.
Yet just hours later, these same people turned on him. They either abandoned him out of fear, or they joined with the mob offering him to be crucified.
Yet these were the very same people that he went to the cross. For he loved them in spite of what they were doing.
Just like he loves us. Even though we are weak and we sin and we make the same mistakes thousands of times.
He was under no illusion that we would be perfect, and he loves us anyway.
And this whole story that becomes manifest in this week that we call Holy Week is meant to remind us of that truth. That while we may never, in fact we will never be worthy of his love and his mercy.
We receive it in abundance because God's love is bigger than our sin.
And if you look for an understanding of what grace is, that's it.
