The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, "You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!" John 12;12-19 NRSV
"And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying:Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest" (Matthew 21:9; cf. Matthew 21:15,Mark 11:9-10, John 12:13). Thayer's contention in Hastings' "Dict of the Bible" that the word hosanna was derived from Psalm lxxxvi, 2, does not seem to have much to support it. The general opinion is that of St. Jerome, that the word originated from two Hebrew words of Psalm cxvii (cxviii), 25. This psalm, "Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus", was recited by one of the priests every day during the procession round the altar, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when the people were commanded to "rejoice before the Lord" (Leviticus 23:40); and on the seventh day it was recited each time during the seven processions. When the priest reached verses 25-26, the trumpet sounded, all the people, including boys, waved their branches of palms, myrtles, willows, etc., and shouted with the priest the words: "O Domine, salvum (me) fac; o Domine, bene prosperare. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini!" The Hebrew for salvum fac or serva nunc was hoshi'a na. This was repeated so frequently that it became abbreviated into hosanna; the seventh day of the feast was called the Great Hosanna; and the palm-branches of willow, myrtles, etc., received the name of hosannas.
Help me O' Lord Jesus to stop seeking you for selfish gain.
I have wasted the precious time and energy You have gifted me on myself, and others who hold my particular views of what I think life should be.
Help me to remain broken and embrace the suffering you have called me to in denying myself, taking up my cross and following You.
Keep me from all deception in following you only for the signs and miraculous manifestations rather then receiving Your humble and contrite heart. Forgive me when I turned my back on you after shouting my "hosannas" with the rest of the worldly seekers of pleasure and prosperity.
Please give me the grace to surrender in my nothingness and brokenness to following You in your suffering and death to end my pride, and embrace your Sacred Heart for the salvation of souls.
Help me to embrace your sorrowful passion in the Heart of our Eternal Father as Your call to obedience in His Divine Will.
AMEN!
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, "You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!" John 12;12-19 NRSV
