29 March 2026 #theRippleeffect
During my morning commute a few weeks back, I came upon a car with a personalized license plate that spelled RIPPLE. Now, I don’t know if that’s his last name or what exactly he intended. But it reminded me that all our words and actions have a ripple effect, for good or for ill. Which is something worth pondering this Palm Sunday, since the ripple effect is on display in our readings today.
In the reading before Mass begins, from the gospel of Matthew, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, fulfilling the prophecy of the prophet Zechariah (9:9). I wonder if Zechariah knew that his words would not come to fruition for more than 500 more years in the future. His words had staying power. The things we say or write – for good or for naught – also have staying power. We’ve seen it in our families… grudges held for generations, hurts remembered at every gathering, or isolation and distance the result of something a parent said or did. But the opposite holds true as well. Joyous family gatherings of laughter and remembrance, younger generations asking the elders for advice and blessings, and forgiveness flowing like swift rivers. What we say today matters in years to come. People are listening, remembering, and recalling. Our words ripple down throughout the years and across time.
And in the present hour. The Gospel writer Matthew tells us that many people came to greet Jesus waving palms and laying their cloaks on the ground before him, as he enters the city. Where did they come from? How did they know? Ordinary people are talking about Jesus in the marketplaces and social gatherings, inside the Temple areas where it’s risky, and around the family dinner table. What we say today matters today too. People listen. And remember. And recall. Our words ripple throughout our communities, our circles of influence, workspaces, and our families.
Isaiah reminds us that Jesus went out and preached to those who needed to hear what he had to say, regardless of who was listening or how it would be received. Or the consequences. We look back on his words to say “Yes, this is how it ought to be. This is how things should have gone,” even when the night is dark and the future is unknown. We’re all prophets in some way, a product of our baptismal anointing as priest-prophet-king. We should speak to those who need to hear that they are intimately beloved by God, all-is-forgiven through Love Incarnate, and help to live an abundant-and-full life is present through the Holy Spirit. These words need to ripple out right now.
Our psalmist’s words and those in Paul’s letter to the good people of Phillippi resonate with us even now. Things can be hard, times can be harsh, life can be a struggle, and it can seem as though God has abandoned us. Untrue, says the Lord, untrue. It is in these times that Whose-we-are… our identity in Jesus… shine for all to see. Our actions under adversity ripple out too.
The Palm Sunday saga of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and subsequent death on a cross is the perfect culmination of the ripple effect. On an individual level, everyone does what they are led to do based on what they have heard from others and what they believe to be true. On the fullness-of-time level, Jesus does what he has heard from the Father and what he knows to be True. What will you do this Holy Week? #TheRippleEffect