Palm Sunday • Year A
A donkey does not draw attention to itself, but it draws attention to the one who rides upon – and that is Jesus. We can carry Jesus, like St Christopher – “Carrier of the Christ.” And if we are Christophers, carriers of Christ, then we called to carry our crosses – as we heard and as we will actively remember this week, particularly on Good Friday. Think about that. Jesus doesn’t get on a lion, or a tiger, but a donkey. Humility, humility, humility.
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time • Year B
There is a great saying attributed to the Greek philosopher Epictetus: “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” I think the advice to listen is both precise and beautiful and why the greatest commandment begins with this word:
Listen: Close the mouth
Listen: Open the ears.
Listen: the word is Shema in Hebrew. Shema Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.