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From The Sermons of Saint Francis de Sales for Lent for Palm Sunday, 1622 (pp 170-172)

Why our Lord chose to ride a donkey for His entry into Jerusalem:

IMG_0131“The first is because of its humility. The ass, though heavy, sluggish and lazy, has great humility. It is neither proud nor vain; in this it is unlike the haughty horse. . . .Now our Lord, who was humble and came to destroy pride , chose not to use this proud animal to carry Him. He chose the most simple and the most humble of all animals because He so loved lowliness and humility that only a humble mount could serve Him. God dwells and abides only in the simple and humble of heart. . .

“The second quality is its patience. . . allowing itself to be beaten and maltreated without ever forgetting its origin. It neither complains, nor bites, nor kicks. . . Our IMG_0134Lord so loved patience that He wished to become its mirror and pattern.He endured scourging and ill-treatment with invincible patience; He supported so many blasphemies, so many calumnies, without saying a word.

“The third reason is that this animal is obedient, permitting us to burden it as we want without offering any resistance. It carries the load with remarkable submission and suppleness.So much did our Divine Master love obedience and suppleness that He Himself chose to give us an example of it. So He bore the heavy burden of our iniquities and suffered for them all that we had merited. . . Only when clothed with these qualities of humility, patience and submission can we be worthy to carry our Lord. Then the Savior will mount upon our hearts and, as a divine riding master, conduct us under His obedience.”

 

The Legend of the Donkey

All purebred donkeys are born with a cross on their back. A legend says it is the gift our Lord gave to the humble donkey that IMG_0136carried Him into Jerusalem. According to the legend, the little donkey so loved his Master that he followed Him to Calvary. Grief-striken at the sight, he turned away but remained at his station at the foot of the cross. The shadow of the Cross fell upon him and from that day all purebred donkeys wear the Master’s Cross on their back.