Palm Sunday Reflection by Fr. John

God replied to Moses: “I am who I am. Then he added: This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”  --   Exodus 3:14

"Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I called! I, it is I, I am the first, and I am the last."   --  Isaiah 48:12

So they said to him, “Who are you?”. . . “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM . .”   --  John 8: 25; 28

The "I AM" ( ego eimi in Greek) statements in the Gospel of John are Jesus Christ's self-portraits, his own way of describing Himself. These statements allow a deep glimpse into the heart of our Savior. These statements tell us who He is and where He has come from – they tell us of His life, His Mission and His purpose.

Jesus' statements tell us of the nature of His being -- who He has been, who He is and always will be. They are statements only God can rightfully make. In the Book of Exodus, we first hear and read these words spoken by God to a terrified Moses when he meets the Divine for the first time. Then we hear them spoken by Jesus in John’s Gospel as He defines Himself . . .
I am the bread of life (John 6: 35, 48); I am the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5); Before Abraham was, I am (John 8: 58); I am the good shepherd  (John 10:11); I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25); I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6); I am the vine, you are the branches (John 15:5)
                                                                                                                                           Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, read the passages that contain these words as we begin Holy Week and meditate on them, then answer the question –

Have a blessed and truly sacred Holy Week,   
Fr. John