By Sister Margaret Meaney, OSB

Jesus knew the hearts of people well. John 2: 24

”Truth is beautiful and divine, no matter how humble its origin; it is the same in the musty boiler room as it is in the glorious stars of Heaven”.*

All the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55: 12.

*Michael Pupin, physicist

After the colt was released to the disciples-

”They brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.

There is symbolism here as well-

The cloak represented protection and truly and symbolically. The cloak was also considered an inalienable right. For the crowd to take off their cloaks and strew them across the path was not only an act of Royal Homage,

but a metaphor denoting transparence. Removing their cloaks revealed their tunics and the biblical symbolism of the tunic represents truth.

Leafy branches are symbolic of King and Heir, Servant of God and humans.

Fields represent the doctrine of faith. The verse could be read as-

“They brought the colt and put their protection under Jesus on the colt and on the path to The Foundation of Peace. They wore truth as their garb. Some strew the acknowledgement they had taken from the fields of faith, that of Jesus being King and Heir, Servant of God and Humans.”

“All the trees of the field shall clap their hands”. Or “Hosanna! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives.

Translation of this scene: Jerusalem means “The Foundation of Peace”. Bethphage means “House of Unripe Figs” or as unripe figs are symbolically ‘sinful people’ in the bible “House of Sinful People”.

Bethany means “House of Answer” or “House of Affliction”.

Mount of Olives has a symbolic meaning. The meaning of Olives are friendship, reconciliation, cleansing, healing, light, victory and peace. Also symbol of stability and a righteous person.

Olive trees in the OT are associated with guarding God’s holiness, a symbol of the Holy of Holies in the Temple. In Revelation olive trees stand before the Lord of the Earth.

The verse could be read as-

” Jesus and his disciples drew near to The Foundation of Peace, to the House of Sinful People and to the House of Affliction and Answer at the Mount of Friendship, Reconciliation, Cleansing, Healing Light, Victory and Peace. The olive trees stood before the Lord of the Earth”.

This is interesting as well for ‘hosanna’ the word of praise is taken from the word ‘hoshana’ ‘to save, rescue’ or ‘savior’ from psalm 118:25

“Save us we beg you, 0 LordI” So the Gospel could be read as-

“Save us!I Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

This week we commemorate this procession, this processional past the Garden of Gethsemane, where will begin the end of Jesus’ bodily life on this planet. Gethsemane, the Olive Press was well placed.