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The Sunday Next Before Easter
Palm Sunday
Intent: The Temporary Triumph of the Light before its Obscuration
THE COLLECT
O Lord, thou art Aleph the first and Tav the last which have come together in Thee, and so thy beneficent will has been fulfilled. Before thy face the angels veil their countenance, and before thy majesty all the glories of the earth are nothing. As we were told of old that thy Logos on the day of his triumph rode into the city and was greeted with shouts of joy by the people, grant unto us thy servants that we may recognize him when he enters the city of our being, and remain faithful to him unto the end of the Aeons.
Amen.
THE LESSON
The lesson is taken from the Revelation of St. John the Divine:
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying: Alleluia; salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God, for true and righteous are His judgements. And again they said Alleluia. And the four-and-twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying: Amen, Praise our God, all ye His servants and ye that love Him, both great and small. And I heard as if it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying: Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth: let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and His name is called Word of God; and He hath on His vesture and on his thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
THE GOSPEL
The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew:
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, “Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and her colt with her: loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, ‘The Lord hath need of them,’ and he will straightway send them.” And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude, when they heard that Jesus was coming, went forth to meet him, and spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches from the trees and strew them in his way. 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.” And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” And the multitude said, “This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
A Homily for Palm Sunday
presented by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostic