WRITTEN TH. KIRYGMA

Great now is the effort, on this Sunday, before the coming Passion of our Redeemer, that we, too, will voluntarily and diligently resemble the infantile children (infants as far as wickedness is concerned) of Jerusalem.

The psalmist David, seeing the present scene of the entrance of our Redeemer into Jerusalem, cried out to the Lord: «Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, I will sing.». And the Lord Jesus Christ also exhorts the people: «Let the children come to me». How did the children survive? To what great and exquisite do their attitudes challenge us?;

Saint Eulogius Bishop of Alexandria explains it very graphically: «Well have the children followed the words of Elizabeth. For while she said to the Virgin and the Virgin Mary «blessed is the fruit of thy womb», these things they say to her Son. «Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the Lord God». What does «blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord» mean? Coming from where? From heaven and from the Virgin. Coming and going. Where is he coming from? To the Passion «in the name of the Lord», the Father, of course, as Christ himself said: «I have come forth from the Father, and unto my Father I go.» Have you seen theological doctrine from unruly children? The children by nature recognized the Savior of creation, while their fathers proved ungrateful. They praised him as God, and they crucified him as an enemy. They sing hymns, they cry crucifixion. The young and ignorant (without experience) age wise (gain wisdom), and those who present themselves as wise are killed. The children have eaten their garments on the road, the fathers have washed his garments, and they have torn them... The children welcome Christ with buffalo, their fathers come with knives. They bless, they blaspheme. They as sheep received the shepherd, they as wolves devoured the lamb. How paradoxical and contrary to nature was indeed the sight, to see infants crying out as the first word of the fruit of lips to the Word of God, saying: «Hosanna» which means glory to thee, save us who are on high. Who trained you, my children?...»

With these children, let us also be anointed today, holding the vases not only in our hands, but also in our souls, since we whiten them more than the snow. Let us lay down branches of olive trees on the road of life with charity, like children. Let us all give praise and glory to Christ and at the same time to the Father and to the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, and those who go before and those who follow. «about the eleventh». And then let us make a covenant with Him and enjoy eternal good things now and forever and for ever and ever. Amen.

Fr. Pavlos Kalliikas