HOSANNA

What is the meaning of  Jesus entry into Jerusalem amid the joyous shouts of the crowds? The cry of Hosanna! that rings out during the entry procession was originally a typically messianic cry, the clamour for the messianic kingdom: “Bring good cheer! Bring salvation.” It is the same cry that rang out on the occasion of the great procession at the Feast of the Tabernacles, in which wreaths of foliage were carried.

The multitude accompanied Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem evidently adopts the same ecstatic attitude, for Jesus is the Messiah-King, and as such they escort Him into the City of God, where the Kingdom of God is to be proclaimed. Thus it is Pascha Domini, the Passing, the Passover, the Entry of the Lord … but, an entry accompanied by His people. That is also the sense of our own procession of palms, and the reason why we call it, Palm Sunday.

Adapted from the Writings of Johannes Pinsk (1891 – 1957) A spiritual leader in Berlin and a very popular Speaker. His great concern was the image of the Risen Christ and the Easter Mystery, the experience of the Church as a worshipping community and the consecration of the world through the sacramental li