When fishes flew and forests walked,
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born.
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil’s walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears
And palms before my feet.”
Imagine the Son of God making his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey of all beasts! As our parish priest said this morning it was a bit like the Queen leaving for St Paul's on her Diamond Jubilee on a bicycle! What a sight that would be but how inappropriate. And yet the donkey was not an inappropriate choice for Jesus. It demonstrated that he came humbly but also in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy:
'Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' (Zecheriah 9 v9)
At the beginning of Holy Week it is the responsibility of parents to make the events come alive for small children. See my posts from 2011 for a few simple ideas. Nothing better than to start with participation in a Palm Procession or have one at home. Even the smallest child can wave a palm.
May all families have a Blessed Holy Week and mark all the events fittingly and prayerfully.
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