Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. To commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to complete the Paschal mystery, during the Mass, before the procession of palms, we listen to the Gospel concerning the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem. However, the Paschal mystery is not completed by the entry alone. Therefore, in the Liturgy of the Word, we also read together the passion narrative of Jesus Christ.  A professor at the Seoul Seminary offers readers of the Catholic Times a reflection on the first day of Holy Week.

Today's two Gospels form a stark contrast. If the Gospel of the entry shows Jesus’ 'Messianic aspect,' the passion narrative shows Jesus’ 'miserable state' as he is crucified. For example, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds shouted, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' and cheered, whereas in the passion narrative, the crowds shout, 'Crucify him!'  showing completely opposite reactions.  

The entry and the passion seem contrasting in this way, yet they together form a single mystery. Though the content appears opposite in that the praised King meets a miserable end, the two are ultimately united in the Paschal mystery: there is no resurrection without death, and no glory without suffering. This Paschal mystery, in which Jesus, welcomed and exalted, humbles Himself unto death to complete the work of salvation, is hinted at in the entry Gospel with the expression 'humble King.'  

The word used in the Gospel of Matthew to mean 'humble' is 'praus (πραΰς).' Praus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word 'ani (עָנִי),' meaning humble, in the verse from Zechariah cited by Matthew: 'He is righteous, humble, and rides on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey'  Etymologically, 'ani' derives from 'anah (עָנָה),' which means to be afflicted or oppressed.  

The humility referred to by 'praus' is generally, not simply the attitude of 'lowering oneself' in the usual sense of politeness and courtesy, but etymologically refers to the attitude of 'enduring'—persevering to the end regardless of any persecution and suffering. In this context, true humility means not just lowering oneself, but quietly enduring and accepting the pain that comes to us. Therefore, when the Bible refers to the one to come as a 'humble king,' it can be interpreted as a hint that, although he is a king, he will endure all kinds of persecution and harsh suffering, bear it silently, and obey even unto death. 

The root word 'ani' for humility, used by Praus, is also related to 'anavim (עֲנָוִ֥ים),' which is translated as 'the poor' in Psalm 37:11. Anavim is the plural form of 'anav (עָנָו),' and anav itself is rooted in 'anach,' which means to suffer persecution and pain. In other words, the humble (Praus) and the poor (anavim) are not unrelated. The poor celebrated in the Psalms are those who must endure persecution and pain as they are. They are so miserable that they can only place their hope in the Lord. They are in a position where they can only trust the Lord alone and endure all the evils that afflict them. The poor, in the midst of suffering, seek the will of the Lord and, in accepting their miserable reality, are inevitably humble. In short, the poor are humble, and the humble are those who seek the Lord's will in suffering and obey it. 

The reason Jesus, entering Jerusalem, is called the humble (πραΰς) king is because he prayed, 'Not my will, but yours be done' (Matthew 26:39), and obeyed the Father's will. Ultimately, the Paschal mystery will be fulfilled through those who are poor, humble, and obedient, like Jesus. Following the humble king.