What’s the right thing to do?
The easy thing for Jesus to do on Palm Sunday is to let the people make him their king. It’s clearly what they want, but not God’s purpose. They dreamt of a political take-over, but his kingdom was not of this world. They refused the easy thing. Instead he did the right thing, allowing his enemies to crucify him.
People struggling over a decision, agonise and say, ’What’s the right thing to do? In most situations, you will find that there is the easy thing to do, and the right thing to do. Usually the hardest and most painful option is the right thing. Many will urge the easy option. But you’re alone in doing the right thing!
Palm Sunday
Today the use of crucifixes, even as personal jewellery blinds us to the awful form of Roman execution that it was. All the more strange, that, when Christians were finally delivered out of the underground tombs of Rome, the symbol they adopted was not the palm branch of coronation, but the cross. That must have made Jesus smile, for they understood.
In your present situation and predicament, you know what is the easy and what is the right thing to do. Do the right thing.
(Donal Neary SJ)