Reflection on Sunday's Gospel

Our first reading for this Sunday, from the prophet Zechariah, was used as a resource for Matthew, Mark and Luke as they composed the passages about Jesus’ final entrance into Jerusalem. Zechariah was writing for his day, not the predicting the future. Inspired as he was, he realized that the way out of the political, social, fiscal and religious devastation of his day was to offer hope to the people that would come to be as they looked at a new way for peace to be accomplished. We have much to consider when we reflect on this passage. Much positive transformation will take place when we insist on leaders whose first allegiance is to God’s plan. God’s plan asks us to rejoice because God, when we cooperate with God, will bring healing. Our part is to focus on how we can respect as fully as possible the dignity of every person on earth. We seek common ground, and not division; we choose to see the goodness in every person, beginning with ourselves, and commit ourselves to listening to one another and to uniting on the conviction that the more we see ourselves as equal in the eyes of God, the more likely we are to make evident what God wants.