Reflection for Vigil of the Sixth Sunday of Lent 2010
27 March, 2010

by Elizabeth Carrillo, OSB

Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10 and Luke 19:28-40

The gospel doesn’t even bother to give us the name of the village where Jesus got the colt that would carry him on his royal entry into Jerusalem. Nameless, too, is the man who turned around and saw two people, whom he may or may not have known, untying his colt. The dialogue that followed is so predictable that Jesus anticipated what the man would say and gave the disciples a ready response.
"Why are you untying this colt?"
"The Master has need of it."
Presumably nothing more needed to be said.

Much happens here with very little dialogue and very little explanation. Following this brief interchange, the story rapidly gains momentum. But I was intrigued with this simple beginning. Something valuable has suddenly changed hands and been put to an unexpected use. Try to imagine the owner. Was he confused or was he expecting this? Did he know the prophecy from Zechariah that we heard in the first reading? “Lo, your king comes to you. Triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt the foal of a donkey.” Did these words resonate in his heart?

Perhaps he knew Jesus, or had heard of the teachings and great deeds of the Master. Or could it be that he was not even a follower of Jesus before that day? One way or the other, the lending of his donkey drew him very personally into the event that was unfolding. Would he be caught up in the enthusiasm and lend his voice to the cheering crowd? After giving his colt, would he also lay down his cloak, an even more personal and valuable possession? Whoever this man was, he provided an essential element of the story. To fulfill the prophecy, Jesus needed that colt.

Our nameless man did not resist, did not accuse the disciples of theft. Somehow he felt the truth of what they said and was moved to act in faith. If the words of Zechariah were in his heart, surely he would have been stirred with excitement at the possibility of prophecy fulfilled and the dawn of a new age. At the same time it would have been hard for him to believe this could happen here and now in the midst of his humdrum life. Who was this promised king who would inaugurate God’s reign? Jesus had none of the trappings of a worldly king, no chariots, no army, no weapons, not even a horse, just an unbroken donkey colt. But he came as the princes of old, victorious and humble, bringing a peace that was not the world’s peace.

That was the story then. But it got me thinking about our colts, the gifts or talents that we have. Like the unridden colt, we may be saving them for some real or imagined purpose. Perhaps they stay tethered for other reasons, like fear, busyness or not even knowing we have them at all. Then someone comes to us and says, "The Master has need of this." How do we respond? Can we recognize those disciples sent to us who ask us to give our colts to Christ, to put our gifts at the service of the Kingdom?

Our response is certainly influenced by how well we know and trust the Master, how well we know the Christ we meet in prayer, liturgy and one another. The better we know the Master, the more willing we will be to offer our gifts.

Another factor is our trust in the messenger. If we have seen the example of holiness in others, we are far more willing to believe that their request is of the Spirit. In community we are called to a special kind of listening. Knowing that we are each committed to our personal relationship with Jesus helps us to trust, and lays the groundwork for mutual obedience. This mutual obedience requires us not only to give willingly of ourselves, but challenges us to ask others to give of themselves.

Like the man with the colt, whose faith in God and hope in the promise drew him into something much bigger, we must be open to recognize the signs of Christ’s coming, and make our own contribution. As humble as they might be, Christ needs our colts to inaugurate his kingdom and his peace, the peace which the world cannot give. What gift do we have that will assist Christ to ride in glory into our world? “The Master has need of it.”

© 2010 Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica
Atchison, Kansas