Palm Sunday 2020
On Palm Sunday 2020, when I look at this picture of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, I see it as someone in lockdown in reponse to the Covid-19 pandemic. I see it as someone who is feeling the anxiety of this present time. I see it as someone feeling both fear and hope for the future. I have previously gazed at images of this fresco, although never seen the original. It is in Assisi and was completed in 1320 by Pietro Lorenzetti. In the past, when I have pondered this image, I've noticed: the person spreading a cloak under the hooves of the ass and her colt. I've noticed people pulling down tree branches. I've noticed Jesus' quiet, humble but authoritative dignity. I've noticed the anxious look on the faces of some of Jesus' following disciple. And then there are the people crowding into the gateway in the city wall. Some of them seem to be asking, 'who is this?' I still see all of that and more, but my first thought on seeing this ima...