St. Matthew tells us that the Lord entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. This was one of the many things foretold by the prophets. Centuries in advance, God had already prepared the manner of His Son's entry into His Passion and Death in Jerusalem. The people acclaimed the Lord upon His entry, just as one acclaims a king entering his city in triumph. Indeed, the King of the Universe was entering His city that day—but the manner of His arrival was startling. It was a scene that defied every earthly expectation, standing in sharp contrast to the prestige and power of worldly kings. What humility God displayed: He entered riding on a donkey!

And that donkey did not belong to Him. He had to borrow it. As He did almost invariably, the Lord made use of ordinary things that belonged to others for the work of God: a little donkey to carry Him into the city, Peter’s boat to preach to the multitude, some loaves and fish to feed crowds of people.

On that historic Palm Sunday, the people spread their cloaks and laid branches on the ground along the path the Lord took as He entered the city. Today, we once again recall that momentous event in the life of the Lord. We recognize the magnitude of the Lord’s mission—and the depth of His courage—as He freely entered Jerusalem with the sole intent of laying down His life for the salvation of all humanity, and for each of us personally. We give thanks to the Lord for loving us so deeply—even to the point of giving His very life for our sake.

Today, the Lord—the humble King—comes to our cities. He comes bearing His message of peace and salvation. His manner remains unchanged. He comes to us in the humility of His Word and in a piece of bread.

May we ask ourselves: In what way does the Lord wish to enter our city, our parish, our family, and each one of our hearts today? What is it that the Lord asks to borrow so that He may enter into all these spaces? For example, the Lord might ask us to borrow our abilities such as our hands to play an instrument or our voice to lead the praise. He might ask for someone’s car to take Communion to the sick or for an offering to support parish programs. The Lord makes use of so many things for the work of salvation. What matters is that we know how to listen to His invitation—which often reaches us through the words of others—and that we are generous in lending Him whatever He asks of us.

The people of His time did not yet know of the marvelous mission upon which the Lord was embarked, but the people were generous and welcomed Him with joy anyway. Today, we know His mission perfectly. Now, we have even greater reason to be generous with Him and to welcome Him into our own spaces with even greater joy than they did. For we know clearly that He is the Savior of the world.

Let us humbly ask the Lord to help us hear His invitation. May we open our hearts to receive Him within ourselves during these holy days. May we be generous with what we have, placing it at the service of His saving work in the world today.