Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9
“The first Prelude is the narrative, which is of three pairs of men, and each one of them has acquired ten thousand ducats, not solely or as they ought for God’s love, and all want to save themselves and find in peace God our Lord, ridding themselves of the weight and hindrance to it which they have in the attachment for the thing acquired.
The second, a composition, seeing the place. It will be here to see myself, how I stand before God our Lord and all His Saints, to desire and know what is more pleasing to His Divine Goodness.
The third, to ask for what I want. Here it will be to ask grace to choose what is more to the glory of His Divine Majesty and the salvation of my soul.
The first pair would want to rid themselves of the attachment which they have to the thing acquired, in order to find in peace God our Lord, and be able to save themselves, and they do not place the means up to the hour of death.
The second want to rid themselves of the attachment, but want so to rid themselves of it as to remain with the thing acquired, so that God should come where they want, and they do not decide to leave it in order to go to God, although it would be the best state for them.
The third want to rid themselves of the attachment, but want so to rid themselves of it that they have even no liking for it, to keep the thing acquired or not to keep it, but only want to want it or not want it according as God our Lord will put in their will and as will appear to them better for the service and praise of His Divine Majesty; and meanwhile they want to reckon that they quit it all in attachment, forcing themselves not to want that or any other thing, unless only the service of God our Lord move them: so that the desire of being better able to serve God our Lord moves them to take the thing or leave it.
Ignatius of Loyola in Spiritual Exercises, Day 4 “Three Pairs of Men: In Order to Embrace What is Best” (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 35.
What would you do if you got 10,000 ducats (gold or silver coin in the Middle Ages)? To answer this question, Ignatius points to three pairs of men.
Would you rid yourself of it in a physical sense to find peace like the first pair of men?
This is letting go of possessions in obedience to Jesus which marks both the pathway of peace and which saves the person who chooses this pathway from death. Because life is not found in the abundance of possessions.
Would you want to let go of it but remain with it though leaving it would be best?
This is the path many take. The driving motivation is “want” and it leads them to remain with the riches, even though this is not the best state for them. This pair is essentially a slave of “want.”
Or would you get rid of the liking or want of it so that it now longer had power over you?
It seems as I think about attachment on this Palm Sunday that our Lord did not remain attached to the title “King” or any facet of what that could bring Him. He humbled Himself and let go of His wants.
In letting go of any attachments or wants other than what the Father wanted, He was able to find His place and play His role in God’s redemptive story. It seems that’s the best pathway for us to take as well, to find our role in God’s story.
Father, by your Spirit help us attach or want only You and what You desire for us like Jesus. Not our will but Yours be done on earth and in our lives as it is in heaven. Amen.