THE ENTRANCE OF OUR LORD INTO OUR HEARTS

 

The entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem is similar to His entrance into our hearts.  Jerusalem is a symbol of his beloved people, and everywhere in Scripture, this city is called, “Mount Zion, which the Lord loves.” We are those, whom the Lord loves as well, and all the passages about Mount Zion are also about us.  Let us pay attention to what happens today in the Gospel, and then also what happens later, since the city, which welcomes its Saviour with great joy, later betrays the same Saviour to suffering and death.  In just the same way, very often, the soul that welcomes a new relationship with the Lord through the Mysteries of Repentance, Holy Communion, or even Ordination as a priest, then turns from the Lord with distaste and fatigue, just as the Lord prophesied in His parable.  He said, “The sower went out to sow his seed. When he sowed, some fell on rocky ground, where there was not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, for the soil was shallow.  When the sun rose, it was scorched, because it had little root…But that one, who received the seed in rocky ground, this is the one, who hears the word and immediately receives it with great joy, but he has no roots in it, but is temporary.  And after affliction or persecution arises on account of the word, quickly he is made to stumble.”

Behold the great generosity of our God and Lord, since He continues to sow the seed of His grace in us, despite the fact that we are inconstant, and rarely respond to His inspiration.  Only in the Kingdom of God will we see and recognize all the graces and gifts, which the Lord sent to us, but we refused. His entrance into the house of our souls is a gift to us. We are free to accept it, or to reject it, and, if we receive this gift, we are still free to reject it later, just as the city of Jerusalem accepted the Lord Jesus with great joy, but later rejected Him, “casted Him out of the vineyard and killed Him.” We must not be inconstant in our relationship with God. We must be perseverant, even obstinate, in prayer, because God rewards those, who earnestly seek Him. We have a solemn obligation to remember that our soul is the holy city, which the Lord describes in Holy Scripture. Cities are defended by force of arms, and our city also must be defended by martial effort. Our city ought to be fortified with prayer and self-denial.

But, before we are able to practice prayer and self-denial, she must be present, who is the mistress of prayer and self-denial—the virtue of faith.  Today, the city of Jerusalem proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Similarly, our spiritual life begins with a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, and His Father, and Holy Spirit. This profession of our faith is very important, because without true faith perseverance in prayer and self-denial are impossible. We bow before God in our hearts and thank Him for the gift of faith, since this makes all our progress in the spiritual life possible. Faith is the capable wife about whom King Lemuel speaks in the Book of Proverbs: “When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands.  Like merchant ships, she secures her provisions from afar. She rises while it is still night, and distributes food to her household. She picks out a field to purchase; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is girt about with strength, and sturdy are her arms. She enjoys the success of her dealings; at night her lamp is undimmed. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy. She fears not the snow for her household; all her charges are doubly clothed. She makes her own coverlets; fine linen and purple are her clothing.  Her husband is prominent in the city gates as he sits with the elders of the land. She makes garments and sells them, and stocks the merchants with belts. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs at the days to come.” This is a very large catalog of good works, but these are the fruits of the virtue of faith in our soul. Faith leads us by the hand to greater and greater accomplishment in good works, as we become more and more similar to Christ. This is the noble woman, who must welcome the Lord, when He enters into our city. She is His gift. She is prepared to welcome Him. 

Our model for this virtue is Our Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.  She was the first “city,” to welcome the Incarnate God.  She shows us the ideal of practical faith, since our faith not only believes but works.  Every day, and every moment, we must welcome the Lord into our soul by deeds, and not only by an ephemeral faith.  Practical faith grows in us through practice. On the other hand, an ephemeral faith is only an assent to certain ideas, without love, without aspiration.  Practical faith is full of love and aspiration, because true faith is a work, just as we see in the life of the Mother of God: “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”