Chapter 23: Of the Feast of Palms, and the lowly entry of Jesus into Jerusalem

I BLESS You, and give thanks to You, O Lord Jesus Christ, loving Saviour of the world, and merciful Preserver of mankind, for the splendour of Your marvellous humility, and for the greatness of that unspeakable love, which You did vouchsafe on this day to show forth, when with bare feet You did ride upon an ass, and amid the Hosannas of a vast multitude of children, did enter the Holy City of Jerusalem.

I praise and glorify You, O my Jesus, illustrious Son of David, for the solemn reverence offered to You this day by the people of Israel, by whom You were owned and acclaimed with shouts, as King and mighty Prophet.

I praise and honour You for Your marvellous love, and Your surpassing clemency, in that, of Your own free will, You did meekly place Yourself in the hands of those murderers, knowing that You would shortly afterwards be put to death by them; and did shed many tears for their sins and wickedness, when warning them how great were the woes which were so soon to follow their present rejoicings.

I praise and glorify You for Your burning zeal against transgressors of the Law, in that You did straightway go into the Temple, and did drive out from Your Father's House those who sold and bought therein, and so were making the House of Prayer a den of thieves.

And as You did show Yourself stern against the covetous and unrighteous, against men who were selling their own souls; so on the other hand did You show Yourself tender and full of pity for the sick and poor, by graciously bestowing upon many of them Your gifts of healing and of holy Doctrine.

O the unspeakable Power of Christ! O the surpassing Love of the Son of God! Who can declare Your mighty acts, O Lord, or set forth all Your praise? Remember me, O my Jesus, in the favour of Your people, and visit me with Your salvation! Come, my beloved Jesus, and lead me into the holy city of Jerusalem; not that Jerusalem which killed the prophets, but that Jerusalem which is above, whose inhabitants dwell together in unity. Ride, I pray You, upon that foal of an ass, the light and wanton lusts of my flesh, by subduing them with the bridle of continence.

Good indeed it is for me to bear my Lord upon my back, and to be subject to His law; never to kick against the rule of obedience, but with patience and with gentleness to endure whatever burden may be laid upon me. For never must I cease from toil, or from spiritual progress; this way, and no other must I go; in this holy course must I proceed; if at length, by Your merciful help and guidance, I am to reach the Heavenly Jerusalem, where there is peace for evermore.

Therefore, with the Hebrew children, I devoutly acclaim You, saying " Hosanna to the Son of David, Hosanna in the highest! " Hail King of all the world, Saviour of the House of Israel, Whose coming the Prophets had foretold since the beginning of the world, Whom the people of the Jews on this day joyfully greeted with their songs of praise.

I adore You, I glorify You, Who came, in the Name of Your Father, to redeem us from the hand of the enemy, and to reconcile us to God the Father by Your own most precious Blood.

I pray You also, O Lord Jesus, to enter the temple of my heart, and to purge and to cast out thence, far from me, whatever You shall find therein that is filthy and profane. Cast out, I pray You, from that which should be Your tabernacle, all the many kinds of worldly cares, all the idols, whether of things, or of persons; overturn the tables of the money-changers, lest covetous lusts should lead me astray. Take away the noise of cattle and of doves, lest an abundance of things earthly should check my longing for things heavenly. Lay hold of the scourge, made of the small cords of the fear of You, and with ceaseless vigour drive out, I pray You, all the fancies and foul imaginations which the devil, that most shameless of pedlars, is so often wont to spread out before me in Church, at the time of prayer; lest my soul, being sorely tempted, and led astray by the wiles of that deceiver, should be drawn into consent, and should be thereby choked. Make haste to help me, O most mighty Lord Jesus; suffer me not to be taken in the snares of the devil, or to be overcome of my own wickedness. Keep me from that which is evil, strengthen me in that which is good; that so I may escape the peril of eternal damnation, and may pass with You into the everlasting tabernacles of the Heavenly Jerusalem.