Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an

apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization using media both old and

new to share the faith on every continent and to facilitate an encounter with

Christ and His Church. The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring

the transformative power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today we invite

you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us.

Peace be with you. We come today to Palm Sunday, the beginning of the

holiest week of the year. And of course we read at Mass the wonderful passion

narrative. But I want to focus today not on the passion narrative but on the

gospel that we proclaim just before the procession with palms, the very

beginning of Mass. Many years ago I saw a mass card, a little card that a young

priest, a new priest puts out as a sign of his day and is usually on the card a

little motto. And I was very struck by this card because here was the motto. The

master has need of it. That was it. And I've seen a thousand models you know for

the first Masses. I had never seen that. The master has need of it. But where's

that from? It's from our gospel reading for Palm Sunday. The gospel we read in

advance of the procession with palms. What's it describing? Well, that moment when

the Lord says to his two of his disciples, I want you to go into the city to

prepare you know for the last supper. And they're told to untether a donkey. And

if there's any protest from the owner, they are to say the master has need of

it. Well, it struck me. That's a terrific model for a priest as he begins his

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