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[They] took branches of palm timber, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna:Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh within the title of the Lord (Jn. 12:13).
The holy Church commemorates this present day the The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem—Palm Sunday”We enlarge Thee, O Christ the Giver of Life, Hosanna within the highest and we cry aloud to Thee, blessed is he that cometh within the title of the Lord!” With these phrases, the Holy Orthodox Church invitations all of us, on the Feast of the Entry into Jerusalem to additionally enlarge and greet our approaching Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“>Lord Jesus Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, which He undertook shortly after the resurrection of Lazarus the four-days-dead, six days earlier than the Jewish Passover. This entrance was particularly festive; it was attended by a multitude who flocked to the feast of the Passover and desired to see Jesus and His good friend 
The Resurrection of Lazarus and the Entry of the Lord into JerusalemCome forth from the snares of sin you might be wallowing in; come forth from the worldly chains during which you might be shackled; come forth from the “cave” of despair and enslavement to the darkish forces of evil; and are available forth to the solar, freedom and the world of the Lord’s grace!…”>Lazarus, who was resurrected by the Savior. With this entrance, the Lord confirmed the entire world that He’s Christ the King Who has come to save lots of males, not out of any human motives, however willingly, for the sake of our salvation.
In achievement of the traditional prophecy of Zachariah, the Lord entered Jerusalem on a younger colt, accompanied by His disciples and a large number of individuals. Everybody thought He was going to Jerusalem to declare Himself King and subsequently not solely grownup women and men but additionally youngsters, with palm branches of their palms, cried out to Him in delight: Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh within the title of the Lord, the king of Israel (Mt. 21:9, Jn. 12:13)! The kids’s exclamations got here in achievement of the prophecy that from the mouths of infants ought to be perfected reward to Christ the Redeemer, the King of Heaven and earth (Matt. 21:16, Ps. 8:3).
The Jewish folks, listening piously, as soon as solemnly met the Lord at His entrance into Jerusalem, with palm branches in hand; and our holy Church, commemorating this occasion at the moment, following the instance of the Jews, places branches in our palms and places the identical music of “Hosanna” in our mouths, thereby encouraging us to satisfy the Lord. The place can we meet Him when He’s no longer on earth, however in Heaven, seated on the proper hand of God the Father, surrounded by hosts of angels? True, our Lord is primarily in Heaven, however as God, He’s in all places current; earlier than His Ascension into Heaven He instructed His disciples, and thru all of them believers on earth: I’m with you at all times, even unto the top of the world (Mt. 28:20). That signifies that the Lord, having ascended into Heaven, hasn’t forsaken us, however ever abides with us.
His main presence is right here within the church buildings of God, particularly within the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the place the bread and wine are transubstantiated into His Physique and Blood unto the remission of sins and life everlasting for us, if solely we worthily eat of His Physique and drink from His chalice. Subsequently, our assembly with the Lord can and ought to be to start with within the church of God via prayer, by which we converse with God and enter into the closest heartfelt communication with Him, after which via participation within the providing of the cold sacrifice and communion of the Physique and Blood of Christ within the Sacrament of the Eucharist. How completely satisfied, subsequently, are these Christians who tirelessly go to the Lord’s church, hearken to the Heavenly educating there, partake in the mysteries of the presents of the Holy Spirit, which strengthen us within the labors of religion and piety, and take part within the cold sacrifice that’s propitiatory for our sins and unites us with Christ the Life-giver. Try, subsequently, Christian listeners, to go to the church of the Lord with zeal and pleasure, so that you may have the prospect to satisfy the Lord in your prayers collectively together with your brethren in a spirit of unity, in a union of peace and love, and particularly in participation within the holy Sacraments, providing the cold sacrifice and communing of it unto the remission of sins and life everlasting.
Not solely adults, but additionally youngsters participated in greeting the Lord when He solemnly entered Jerusalem, and taking palm branches of their palms and holding them out excessive, they accompanied Christ all the way in which to the Temple, crying out: Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh within the title of the Lord (Mt. 21:9). Even nursing infants, being within the arms of their moms, who participated within the Savior’s solemn procession to Jerusalem and to the Temple, imitated the older youngsters and exclaimed as finest they may with barely babbling lips: “Hosanna! Hosanna!” And now Christian youngsters actually should go to the church buildings of God, taking part within the communion of Church prayer and the communion of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Undergo little youngsters … to return unto Me: for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 19:14). How can we not convey youngsters to church who’ve already been sealed with presents of grace! Simply as their life requires clear air and a dwelling area, so their souls require the grace of the holy church. Right here an toddler is sanctified and spiritually strengthened by the Sacrament of Communion; right here he learns to like the Orthodox religion; right here his conscience is aroused to worry God-defying deeds; thus, right here he attracts nearer to Christ, unites with Him. And the way fascinating it’s that oldsters and educators not overlook the phrases of the Lord: Undergo little youngsters, and forbid them not, to return unto Me. Then many people would keep away from these unlucky penalties that we frequently must face from neglecting the non secular schooling of kids. Whoever turns into accustomed from childhood to turning to God in church together with his coronary heart and mouth and learns to know God via prayer and religion can efficiently navigate the tough journey of life via all of the vicissitudes of destiny. Allow us to not overlook, pious listeners, this holy fact within the matter of the non secular and ethical schooling of our youngsters.
Christ the Savior entered Jerusalem a couple of days earlier than providing the atoning sacrifice of human sins. The identical individuals who have so enthusiastically glorified Him demanded His dying solely three days later; the festive “Hosanna” was changed with cries of “crucify Him!” Christ the Savior was crucified and with His Blood He cleansed the sinful earth to make it worthy of God’s love and mercy once more, because it got here from the palms of the Creator. Since that point, the town of Jerusalem has been a sacred place for all those that imagine in Christ. Christians from all nations flock there to hope at blood-stained Golgotha, to venerate the Tomb of the Lord; there each inch of earth is marked by the works of Christ and worthy of veneration; however poverty and worldly worries, the worry of discovering no shelter from warmth and thirst alongside the way in which, fatigue and sickness cease many from touring to Jerusalem to venerate the holy websites.
(St. Neophyte talks concerning the Russian Palestinian Society of his day):
With a purpose to scale back the troubles of such a journey and throughout one’s keep in Jerusalem, to make the holy websites of Jerusalem accessible to your complete Orthodox world, the Palestinian Society was established beneath the august chairmanship of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who took upon himself the duty of arranging shelters for Russian pilgrims within the Holy Land, to make journey to the Holy Land simpler and cheaper. This society additionally takes care of the native Orthodox Christians, arranging faculties for them, thereby educating them in Orthodoxy and defending them from the affect of different faiths. Funds for these God-pleasing deeds are being collected throughout Russia. We have now Orthodox Christians in all places who, for the glory of Christ and to alleviate the wants of our brethren and, lastly, for the consideration of our fatherland, willingly supply a contribution based on their means. With a purpose to make these sacrifices accessible to all, the Holy Synod blessed the gathering for the holy locations on this Palm Sunday. Don’t refuse, brethren, to submit your donations to the mentioned trigger at the moment, as a lot as every one can, with out being embarrassed in case of poverty to give even a tiny sum, in order that the pilgrims might pray for you on the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord.
Amen.
