St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-30
FATHER WOODS DISCOURSE
WAS AN ELOQUENT EXPOSITION OF
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
RITES.
FOND MEMORY OF JESUS, ENTRY
Animates u Service That Was Shared
by Thousands of st. Paul
Catholics.

j. j. Woods preached at the cathedral
yesterday morning. The Palm Sunday
| services, over which the archbishop
presided, commemorated that day of
majestic humility when the Savior en-
tered Jerusalem. Father Woods spoke
as follows:
| "And many spread their garments in the
| way; and others cut down boughs from the
| trees and strewed them in the way; and
/ they that went before. and they that follow
| ed, cried, saying: Hosanna, blessed Is He
| Mark XII, 8-9..
On Palm Sunday the church honors the
| triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
| five days before His death. Today is called
Palm Sunday because on this day branches Of
/ palm, olive and lockwood are blessed be-
fore mass. and are afterwards carried in pro-
! cession to commemorate what the Hebrew
| people did in honor of Christ's triumphant
| entry to Jerusalem. And whilst our thoughts
| instinctvely roll back to that old, old picture
| which generations have looked upon and
| studied, we will strive this morning to
| grasp, in some small way, what must have
| been the thoughts Of Jesus as He rode on
| amidst the joyful shouts Of thousands who
! cried about on every side: "Hosanna to the
! Son of David, blessed is He that cometh in
! the name of the Lord" Our Savior had ad-
! arrived six days before the great feast of the
| Jewish Passover. There, on the Sabbath
| evening" a supper was prepared for Him in
| the house of Simon the leper. Lazarus was
| one Of those who sat down to supper with our
| Lord. The report of Jesus being at Bethany
| quickly reached Jerusalem, and many of the
| Jews focked from the city to see Him, as
| well as Lazarus, whom He had raised from
! the dead. The proud Pharisees were more
t0
! paid to Jesus. They observed that Lazarus
was the cause why many believed in Him,
| and therefore they thought Of putting
Lazarus likewise to death. Next morning
! our Lord set out for Jerusalem, and when
| He had come near Bethphage. village by
the Mount Of Olives, not far from Bethany
he sent two of His disciples into the village
! to fetch an ass colt on which no one had
ever yet ridden and which they would find
tied with it's mother. They were to bring
both to the Lord-the colt. that He might
| ride on it; the mother, that she might be
| with her foal. The disciples having done as
Jesus commanded put some garments on the
colt, upon which the Savior mounted, and
as He rode on towards Jerusalem, the crowds
cast their garments on the ground before
Him, the custom with Eastern
kings for whom special honor was intended.
Jerusalem at that time you must know, was
thronged with foreign Jews, who had come
from different countries to keep the feast
OF the Passover. These being informed of
the wonderful miracles which Jesus had
wrought, and hearing of His approach to-
| wards the holy city, went out in crowds to
meet Him, and conduct Jesus in triumph to
| Jerusalem. Then these and the surgng
| throng' which had accompanied Him from
| Bethany, walked in procession before and
after Him, bearing branches of palms and
! olives, strewing the way with their gar
ments and rending the air with joyous ex-
| carnations, crying as with one grand voice
Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He
| that cometh in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in the highest" The holy fathers
say that by Christ's triumphant entry to
| Jerusalem, on the worlds first Palm Sunday,
Jesus anticipated the triumph of His
| glorious resurrection, as in His last supper
| lie anticipated the mystery of His secret
passion. In vain then did the Pharisees and
elders rage; In vain did the Jewish chiefs
| form their plots against God and against
Jesus-His well beloved Son. The people
bowed before the force Of truth and ran out
| IN crowds to grace the triumph and pro-
claim with song and jubilee the praises Of
the true Messiah. Many also of the chiefs
Deileved In Jesus, but on account of the
Pharisees they burst not profess their belief
lest they should be turned ont of +ba
| synagogue. For says st. John: "Tbese loved
the glory OF men more than the glory, of
God" ''io ei'iS VI
Our Lord rode on in triumph amidst tba
joyful shouts Of numerous attendants ti1I TJo
came near the gates of Jerusalem. when the
sisht OF That unhappy city, In all It's beauty
and grandeur, drew tears from the Savior,s
! eyes. FROM out of those compassionate ewes
50 soon to be closed Gin the mists of death >,
ne peWalled the blindness of people s6nt=
| tihe thelr eyes against the light which was
| burning in their midst He wept for the mis-
fortune OF that city. which would not know
| the day OF her visitation nor receive the
ghts tnat were really to her peace. He saw
! her upon the point Of completing her career
OF crime by putting Him to death and He
foretold the ruin that should soon oyertake
| her in punishment thereof
Such is the brief outline of Jesus, triumnb-
! ant entry to Jerusalem, but the practical
| Irult would have you reap from the Gosnel
story OF today is to understand how similarly
our individual soul is represented by Jerusa
| lem, and to determine what shall be the man
her OF Cnrlsts entrance to our hearts if we
are Worth1ly to entertain in Pascbal com
munion this same Jesus-the Son of David.
| Jerusalem was His own city and that of Jis
| plessed rather. Sacred 1t was to Him and
| deeply reverenced by the Savior But II was
not so. much the material city, with its vast
precious treasures and brilliant walls. that
Jesus so strongly loved. No; 1t was the stony
would
not hearkeps to- their Savior's voice nor heed
His outsretched hands, that Jesus came IN
seek No wonder, then, as He reached the
| Ialr hliltops OF Olivet, when Jerusalem came in
VleW' tnat He wept most bitterly. ooh, Jeru-
salem, Jerusalem, thou that kiIlest the
prophets, how often would gather thy chill
uien unto mysen even as the hen gathereth
her young beneath her wings, and thou
| wouldst not" Your own soul is your Tern,
salem OF today to which Jesus comes in all
| His love and silent majesty Your undivid
ed heart is the royal throne on which He
| loNes to remain, and the olive branches YOU
can spread to grace the Savior's triumph
should be true and deepest sorrow for all your
| sins. Then be sure, not from any harm of
angel choirs falls upon the ears of Jesus a
music half so sweet as that which gladdens
| His sacred heart at the first whisper of a
| sinners sorrow, and the first low sound of
the cry for mercy, that goes up to Him from
| lips that had almost forgotten how to nrav-
We can initiate the multitude in protesting
| publicly our faith in Jesus as our God and
only Savior. Let US also initiate them in
their love for Jesus in the delight of our
hearts on earth, the foretaste of that eternal
joy we feel, especially when we prepare for
Jesus triumphant entrance under our roof
| III Holy Easter communion. But let us scorn
TO follow the Jews in their hateful incon
stancy. On this great DAY they exclaimed
Hosanna to the Son of David" and FIVE DAYS
later, they shouted Cruelty Him." Now.
Blessed Is He that cometh in the nan,s .,
the Lord" On the following Friday. AWAY
with Him; let His blood be upon us and on
our children!" - 3I7-7-- -
AT one time Jesus is hailed as King of the
Jews, few days later they have no king
but Caesar. Now He is met with palms and
oIiVe boughs waved by countless friendly
hards; on Friday He is crowned with thorns.
| nailed to the cross and dfea