By Kat Hnatyshyn, Council of Twelve Apostles

…they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

A donkey. Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem on a donkey. On what some thought should have been a triumphant entry, Jesus instead chose an animal that portrayed an image of humbleness and peace.

Several years ago at work, outside my corner office of glass, I watched a woman who had discovered a fire hydrant that had been knocked over by snowplows after significant snow. She had exited her very nice SUV and appeared to be trying to take it. I watched while she struggled to maneuver this 150-pound fire hydrant into the back of her vehicle. To make it more complicated, she wrapped a towel around the hydrant to keep herself from getting dirty from the snow and mud that covered the hydrant.

Not knowing if this was legal or not, I kept watching. After 45 minutes of trying different positions and techniques to get this hydrant in her car, someone driving by stopped and assisted her, and she drove off.

Such is life. We sometimes experience challenges when, no matter what we do or how we try to overcome them, our efforts are not enough. Life is just too heavy. Then we complicate it by wanting to keep ourselves pretty and not sharing all of ourselves in ways that open us to our vulnerabilities.

As written in Sharing in Community of Christ under the Enduring Principle Blessings of Community, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is expressed best in community life where people become vulnerable to God’s grace and each other” (p. 31). As much as we do not want to admit to failings and inadequacies, they exist in us all, and yet grace abounds. We can connect and unite to strengthen each other in our call to live out Christ’s mission.

So like Jesus, when given the choice of a triumphant entry or one where vulnerability and connectedness can be shared, choose the path as faithfully laid by the Peaceful One.

Prayer Phrase

“Happy are those who observe justice” (Psalm 106:3).

Healing and Reconciliation

Gather a small mound of stones. Meditate on the stones as symbols of differences and destructive acts that continue to separate and wound the human family. Name and anoint each “stone wound” with a drop of water or scented oil. Offer them to God in a prayer for healing and reconciliation.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.