Tell me what it means to you to call him Lord.
Anthony de Mello
Christ's entry into Jerusalem, Hippolyte Flandrin, 1842
Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” Matthew 21:5
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Matthew 23:37
“It is amazing to me that the cross or crucifix became the central Christian logo, when its rather obvious message of inevitable suffering is aggressively disbelieved in most Christian countries, individuals, and churches. We are clearly into ascent, achievement, and accumulation. “ Richard Rohr, CAC 30 March 2020
Refused icons
How about this image? A fully grown man, a gentle man (arguably not only gentle) presenting himself thus. Maybe this icon, like the cross has suffered disbelief. Of the beatitudes G.K. Chesterton wrote: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
Both icons are still accurate of the divine nature and message. Today, on this Palm Sunday, allow this Jesus a way in, to affirm, to relax, to cheer you.