Homily For Palm Sunday Year - A
Palm Sunday Year - A
“What Is the Name of Your
Donkey?”
Isaiah 50:4 – 7 Phil 2:6 - 11 Matt 26: 14 - 27:66
Dear brothers and sisters
in Christ Jesus,
Today we celebrate Palm
Sunday, the day the people welcomed joyfully Jesus Christ into Jerusalem with
palms and shouts of “Hosanna.” They recognized Jesus as their King, yet the
King they received was humble and simple, riding on a donkey rather than on a
horse.
This story is told in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus tells His disciples to go into the village and bring Him a donkey and a colt. Then He says something interesting: “The Lord needs it.” Think about that -the Lord of heaven and earth says, “I need a donkey.” Why a donkey? Why not a horse, why not a chariot, or why not a royal procession?
It’s because Jesus wants
to show to the world a different kind of kingship. Kings ride horses for war.
But kings ride donkeys when they come in peace. Jesus enters Jerusalem as the Prince
of Peace, not a warrior. Today, I would like to ask a simple but powerful
question:
What is the
name of your donkey?
Dear friends, this is the
question and theme for today’s Eucharist. The donkey is not a powerful animal. It is
ordinary, humble, even overlooked. Yet on that day, the donkey carried the most
important person in history - Jesus. God often uses humble instruments to
accomplish great things.
Therefore, this Palm
Sunday shows us two realities: the joy of welcoming Christ and the suffering
of the Cross. I ask once again: What is the name of your donkey?
The Donkey
of Suffering Isaiah 50:4 - 7
The first reading comes
from the part of the Book of Isaiah that scholars often call Second Isaiah, and
it is one of the Servant Songs describing the suffering servant – the Messiah. In
these verses, the prophet presents the image of the Suffering Servant,
who faithfully accepts the mission given to him by God.
The passage describes how
the servant willingly accepts suffering as part of God’s plan. He says, “I
gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my
face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” These words show a person
who does not resist suffering or run away from it but accepts it with courage
and trust in God.
For Christians, this
servant points to Jesus Christ, whose suffering and Passion fulfil this
prophecy. The Gospel of Matthew shows how Jesus was mocked, beaten, and
humiliated, yet He remained obedient to the will of the Father.
The Donkey
of Obedience (Philip 2:6 - 11)
The second reading explains
the deep mystery of Jesus’ life. Though He was divine, He did not cling to His
equality with God but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant. He humbled
Himself and became obedient even to death - death on a cross.
This passage reveals the
heart of the Christian message: humility, obedience, and self-giving love.
Because of His humility and obedience, God exalted and raised Him and gave Him
the name above every name.
The Donkey
of Humility (Gospel - Passion Reading)
The Passion narrative
from the Gospel of Matthew unfolds step by step the journey of Jesus
toward the Cross. It begins with Judas Iscariot, “one of the twelve,” who
agrees to betray Jesus to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver.
Then comes the Passover meal:
- Jesus institutes the Eucharist
- He foretells His hour of trial
- He predicts the threefold denial of Saint Peter
Next, we
see the agony in the garden:
- Jesus accepts the will of the Father
- Judas betrays Him with a kiss
- Jesus openly acknowledges that He is
the Son of God
- His divine authority reveals His
messianic mission
Then comes
the suffering of Good Friday:
- Jesus is arrested and bound like a
criminal,
- He is brought before Pontius
Pilate,
- Though Jesus was declared innocent, He is condemned to death.
- He washes his hands, trying to avoid responsibility,
- Jesus is mocked and beaten by the soldiers,
- He carries His cross,
- He is crucified between two thieves,
- And He gives His life for us.
The message
for us
Dear brothers and
sisters, the image of the donkey is not just part of the story - it speaks
directly to our lives. In the Gospel of Matthew, the donkey carries Jesus into
Jerusalem. It is simple, humble, and unnoticed. Yet it becomes important
because it carries Christ.
This is the key message
for us today. Each one of us has a “donkey” in life - something ordinary, weak,
or burdensome:
- our struggles,
- our responsibilities,
- our suffering,
- our limitations,
- our failures,
- our brokenness.
We often complain about
these things. We feel they make our life difficult or insignificant. But Palm
Sunday teaches us something powerful: even a donkey can carry Jesus. If we allow Christ to enter our lives,
then:
- our struggles can carry His grace,
- our suffering can reveal His strength,
- our ordinary life can become a
witness to His love,
The donkey did not become
great by itself. But it became meaningful because Jesus was on it.
In the same way:
…. without Christ, our burdens remain heavy but with Christ, they become a path to blessing….
So, the question is not just, “What is the name of your donkey?” but The real question is: “Are you allowing Jesus to ride it?” When we invite Jesus into our daily life - into our pain, our work, our relationships then even the smallest and weakest parts of our life can become a place where God is revealed.
Let me
share a short story
Once there was a small
boy watching a Palm Sunday procession in his parish. The statue of Jesus was
placed on a donkey, and people were waving palm branches and singing. After the
procession, the boy asked his father a funny question. He said, “Dad, do you
think the donkey knew that people were cheering for him?”
The father smiled and
said, “No, my son. The people were not cheering for the donkey. They were
cheering for Jesus who was riding on it.”
Then the father added
something very beautiful:
“The donkey was special not because of who it was, but because it carried
Jesus.”
What this
story means to us today
Dear friends, this story teaches us an important lesson. Sometimes we feel too ordinary, too weak, or too insignificant to be used by God. But the truth is, God often works through simple and humble people to reveal His presence in the world. As we read in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” As it is written in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This reminds us that God does not look at us the way the world does. He sees our hearts, our willingness, and our faith. No matter how small we may feel, God can use us in powerful and meaningful ways.
The donkey was ordinary.
Yet it carried the Savior. In the same way, when we carry Christ in our lives -
through our love, kindness, faith, and service - we become instruments of God.
St. Francis
De Sale says “Bloom where you are planted, and let God use
even your weaknesses for His glory.” When we allow God to use us, we become
like the donkey - simple and humble - carrying Jesus into the world.
LIVE JESUS!
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