THE ENTRANCE INTO JERUSALEM: AN ACT OF TRUE LIBERATION.

PALM SUNDAY. YEAR A.
March 16, 2008.
(Entrance Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11) (First reading: Isaiah 50:4-7)
(Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24) (Second reading: Philippians 2:6-11)
(Passion Gospel: Matthew 26:14-27:66).


THE ENTRANCE INTO JERUSALEM:
AN ACT OF TRUE LIBERATION.

There are times in human history when man lives in the form of a slave, a form radically different than that in which he was originally created.

Human beings take the form of slaves by their own doing, by imposing upon one another ways of life based on injustice, oppression, lies and mutual destruction.

This form of slavery permeates all aspects of human life, namely: individual, family and societal life.
- At the individual level, a human being lives in the form of a slave whenever he fails to see himself as a son of God.

- At the family level, human beings live in the form of slaves whenever they fail to respect the bonds of unity, peace and mutual support among the members of the family; and

- At the societal level, human beings live in the form of slaves whenever they fail to relate to one another as members of one universal family, whenever they fail to seek the common good.

Into this world Jesus came in order to liberate it. And since humanity was in a state of slavery, he had to take the form of a slave(1), for slave it is any human being who lives in a world of injustice, oppression, lies and destruction.

Saint Paul says: "Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasp. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness" (Philippians 2:6-7).

The triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem makes visible to the world the nature of the liberation brought by Jesus, a liberation to be accomplished through the exercising of the power of God, not the power of the world.

Let us highlight the radical differences between: 1. the way Jesus liberates; and 2. the way the world "liberates".

1. Jesus uses his liberating power by humbly obeying the will of God.
The liberating power of Jesus consists in his adherence to justice, righteousness, truth, peace and respect for all human beings. His power does not lead him to belittle, nor oppress, nor destroy, nor lie, nor impose his authority over other human beings. It is for this reason that the gospel of Matthew presents the Lord Jesus entering Jerusalem "meek and riding on an ass... the foal of a beast of burden" (Matthew 21:5).

2. The world, on the other hand, uses means of "liberation" which only increase humanity's slavery in every aspect of life, namely:
- At the individual level, the world entices human beings to seek their own self interest, their own well-being at the expense of the well-being and best interest of their fellow human beings. Under this approach the individual human being does not accomplish any liberation but rather falls into deeper slavery.

- At the family level, the world has institutionalized a family structure based on external laws, thus destroying the fundamental inner commitment that must inspire unity, peace, truth, mutual respect and mutual support among its members. Thus, the members of a family see as "liberation" what in fact is only the domination, if not the outright destruction, of one by the other. The family, in this case, becomes the micro cosmos of what happens in oppressive societies at large.

- At the societal level, our world encourages and glorifies the use of force (brute or otherwise) as means to impose socioeconomic and political systems.

If Jesus showed his liberating power by entering into Jerusalem "meek and riding on an ass... the foal of the beast of burden", so must we do the same for this is the only way to achieve true world liberation.
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Footnote.
(1) The concept of Jesus taking the form of a slave, as indicated in the Letter to the Philippians, refers to his condition of being a servant as well as to his condition of being under the oppression of a world which tries to subjugate him.