Blessings on Palm Sunday

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This was written on Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011.

Good morning, and blessed Palm Sunday to you.

Yesterday I asked some church going folks around me here at my Mom's what Palm Sunday meant, and the people I asked realized they really didn't know. So I did a bit of reading and thinking about it, and want to offer you this:

Palm Sunday represents the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Up until that time he had discouraged his disciples from talking about his work and miracles, but now he told them (after recently raising Lazarus from the dead) to go and proclaim his power. He told them where to find a donkey, and her colt who had never been ridden. They put their cloaks on the colt and he used that "virgin" animal to ride into the city.

Donkeys represent peace. Warriors who are conquering or celebrating conquests ride into a city on a decorated prancing horse. Jesus rode a donkey draped in humble cloaks. He came as a King, celebrated, not to conquer by force like earthly kinds, but by his love and grace demonstrating the truth of who we are as Spirit, Life, God, Love. His goal was to conquer hearts and minds, not nations.

Of course most everyone misunderstood Jesus' mission, still wanting him to be the powerful kind that would liberate them from the occupation and rule of the Romans at that time. When they saw he wasn't going to use his power to meet their earthly needs, they turned on him, and the result was the trial and ultimate punishment through crucifixion.

If we receive this story as a metaphor for the Christ energy (force of life) within us, we can use it to ask ourselves, "How am I receiving and using the power of Life within me? Am I at war with my world, using my power to try to change and control the outside world to my liking? Or am I using Life to bring myself into harmony and loving acceptance with What Is?"

Miguel Ruiz' Circle of Fire Prayer ends with: "I will respect all creation as a symbol of my love communion with the one who created me." For me this says that when I accept and actively love every person, event, institution, emotion, and thought that appears in my world I am in a loving communion with the Spirit of Life that has created and animates me and my world. The prayer ends, "To the eternal happiness of humanity." The goal is to be happy.

It is up to us to bring those qualities of Spirit (Christ Consciousness) into our own personal life -- love, acceptance, and gratitude for What IS.

I wish you a very special day today. And invite you to ask yourself, "How am I using this power to be the king in my own inner life? Am I charging in on the horse of war, or gently riding the donkey of peace?" As I write that line I hear church bells ringing in the distance.

God Bless Us One and All.