For many people, the culmination of life is to recognize what they have done. If they have been a good father-mother, brother ... ..and to be recognized in life. There are many people who have been recognized and are still recognized. History keeps reminding you. There are people who are remembered for the good they did and others for the evil they did.

"Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the kingdom that comes, that of our father David. !Hosanna in the high! "(Jn.12,13)

In our case this Palm Sunday we remember how people recognized Jesus as someone who had done a lot of good. They recognized him in life. He had always been close to the people, the little ones, the last ones, the ones abandoned by society. That was the plain and simple people with whom Jesus always lived and who always carried in his heart. The simple people with a clean look, without personal interests, recognized Jesus as the Messiah sent by God, the God made flesh walking with his people like the good shepherd, the man who cried and laughed with people when there was to laugh or when there was to cry The man who rested, who sought his time to be alone with the Father and the man who ran when someone needed him. The man faithful to his people, faithful to the truth, faithful to his mission. The man who never is tired of walking, of bringing the good news to all the homes and corners of the villages. A man focused on humanizing people with His closeness, word, with His entire person. Jesus, the simple man who always thought about others. The man who not only care for those of His people, but He had an open heart to all, Jews and pagans, men and women, rich and poor, good and sinners, great and small. The majority of the simple people who did not have particular interests but a simple and clear look recognized him as the one who was always on his side and that is why they cheered Him on his entrance to Jerusalem. Jesus had fulfilled many of their hopes, had cured their illnesses, He forgot their sins, restored their dignity by touching them, entering their homes and eating with them. How they would not acclaim him as king, as the Messiah awaited for so long!

"You see how you have not achieved anything ? The whole world has gone after Him" (Jn.12,19)

But there were others behind wanting and preparing His death. They were the powerful ones, those who had their own interests and could not allow a poor Jews from Bethlehem, son of Mary and Joseph, to change things. For them, things were good because they were doing well. Furthermore, it was not exactly what they expected of the Messiah, of the Son of God. Jesus had not changed anything, he had not driven out the Jews of Israel, which was what they expected to gain total control. He had faced some of his most sacred traditions such as Saturday, entering the home of public sinners and eating with them, forgiving sins. A scandal for them so closed in their traditions and that they thought they were so good.

This could not end well. On the one hand the simple people in favor of Jesus and on the other the authorities against. Jesus had uncovered the reality of the people, the incongruity of the powerful and the true hunger of the little ones. But unfortunately as almost always who triumphs is not the simple people, but the great ones. They know how to confuse the little ones, how to use them, how to put on their lips, "crucify" them.

Jesus had not looked for anything, neither power nor recognition nor anything. He was not looking for power or death. He was not against anyone, He was only for man. That was all His concern. He had no personal interest and that's why He was so free to talk and do things. He was only interested in man, his dignity as a person and as a child of God. This was all His eagerness. Neither be king, nor be acclaimed, nor be recognized, nor be served, nor be admired, nor be praised! He was the face of what is expected of man and what it really means to be a man. He did it by His own personal conviction and by being authentic to his way of thinking. In turn, it was also the reflection of the Father. A divine Father but who was very human, as much as divine. In Jesus this could not be separated, as human as divine and as divine as human. That is why it was also the face of the divine as a reflection of the Father, and also as a reflection of the man of truth in which His divine part cannot be separated from His human part either.

Today we also acclaim Jesus with our lips, we carry out our branches to receive Him with joy as simple people. We have also seen Jesus acting in our lives, He has not touched the heart, He has given us back our sight, He has made us walk again, He has forgiven us, we have heard His word of encouragement of life, He has given us His spirit to open our heart of stone, He has invited us to eat His body. How many personal experiences of His love, of His mercy, of His grace.

Something that is at the bottom of our heart and that we cannot erase. Our most precious treasure. But we are also there, willing to sell ourselves for our personal interests, to fall whoever falls to save ourselves and ours. We are like the powerful and we do not want anyone to touch us one bit of what we have or are. There are people who move things so that everything continues the same and nothing moves. They know how to make our desires of goodness, of fidelity to Jesus and his message, diffuse and end our good and authentic wishes.

Let us enter Jerusalem with Jesus, with our brothers and sisters with joy and acclaiming: "Blessed the one who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in Heaven!” Let us disregard our own interests and recognize from the heart that the Lord is great and has done wonders, his name is holy and his mercy extends from generation to generation.

Fr. Rubén Martínez op