Today is Palm Sunday, a Christian holy day marking the entry of Jesus Christ riding on the back of a donkey into the city of Jerusalem. Churches hand out palm fronds to remind congregants of the praise of first century onlookers who stood alongside the road and waved palm branches as a symbol of triumph. I’ve always felt connected to my Judeo-Christian ancestors when I hold a palm in my hand. And today is no different.
However, my mind is also someplace else this Palm Sunday. My
journey over the past year has gotten me thinking about donkeys today, in spite
of the abundance of chocolate rabbits and marshmallow chicks I’ve seen filling
store shelves in the weeks leading up to Easter. I recall that in Biblical times, the donkey was an animal which represented peace, unlike the horse
which was an animal used in wars.
The significance of that is not lost on me. Jesus was seen
by many to be the “King of the Jews.”
People showed reverence with branches representing victory. But if anyone thought Jesus’ achievement was going to be a
military defeat, the donkey seems to have put a pin in that notion.
The jubilation of Palm Sunday fills me with a feeling of happiness every
year. However, today the image of Jesus on the donkey and its message of peace seems important, too. It is a powerful reminder to stay the course (no matter how I am feeling) to continue to put aside who
is right and who is wrong. To judge less and forgive more. To choose peace over
arguing. It’s a different type of victory, I suppose, but
one that’s just right for me.
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