Another donkey celebrates his first Mass

This morning's Mass was also the First Thanksgiving Mass of a newly ordained Deacon for the Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam, besides being Palm Sunday. One of the interesting things shared by the one who preached the sermon was the story of the donkey carrying Jesus into Jerusalem on the original day. The donkey thought the whole show and solemnity was for itself! So sure was it that it could hardly wait for the next occasion for it being felicitated. And so it ran ahead of the procession that was being taken out within a couple of days, thinking it would again be raining petals and palm leaves. Not until it received a couple of lashes from the soldiers leading Jesus to Calvary did it realise that the honour was all of Christ, the one whom it bore.

The preacher reminded the new Priests about this: All those consecrated are merely donkeys carrying Jesus. Owe to us if we take the whole merit for ourselves only, forgetting that our strength and power is from the one whom we bear!