OUR PALM SUNDAY
Today on Palm Sunday, we enter the Holy Week. The name “Holy Week” was used by early Church leaders in the 4th century by St. Anthanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, and St. Epiphanius of Constantia. Before the Nicene Creed of 325, the early Christian Church focused its observance on the feast of the Christian Passover, the night before Easter Sunday. Originally, Good Friday and Holy Saturday were observed and this expanded in time.
We are blessed and grateful to have from centuries past and that remain with us till today, the Church’s most solemn observances and joyous feasts, the unique and beautiful liturgies that begin on Palm Sunday and culminates with Easter Sunday - Christ Himself, living and present today. As explained by Pope Benedict XVI (Palm Sunday 2007) – when we participate and enter the sacred liturgy, we do not simply recall past events. The reality of what was accomplished then becomes present to us here and now. It is not nostalgia; it is participation in the saving events themselves and transforms us every day.
The following reflections come to mind - Will I just attend the observances as I usually do? What is my own response to Jesus’ sacrifice, am I living as if Jesus’ sacrifice truly means something? What resolutions of conversion can I draw out this Holy Week to identify myself more closely with Jesus Christ, to be drawn closer in relationship to God? The readings today hold many reflections and teachings.
Today on Palm Sunday, when Jesus began His journey towards the cross marked the beginning of a confrontation with the religious and political authorities. During the 4th century, the faithful in Jerusalem re-enacted the solemn entry of Christ into their city on the Sunday before Easter; they held the procession and carried branches, and sang the Hosanna. The Palm Sunday procession which originated in Western Europe was soon accepted in Rome and incorporated into the liturgy. It is believed that there was a Mass celebrated outside the walls of Rome wherein the palms were blessed; and then a solemn procession moved into the city to the Basilica of the Lateran or Saint Peter’s Basilica, where the Pope celebrated a second Mass. With time, the first Mass was discontinued and, in its place, only the ceremony of blessing was performed. Our Lord was represented in the procession by the Blessed Sacrament or by a crucifix. Later in the Middle Ages, a Palm donkey referring to the statue of Jesus on a donkey mounted on a wheeled platform was part of the Palm Sunday processions. Gradually with reforms in the Liturgy, the ceremonies were simplified to emphasize the suffering and death of Christ.
Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey would set in motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to the death of Jesus on the cross. Due to a combination of political, social, and religious factors, Jesus was viewed as a threat to both Roman authority and local Jewish authorities, the Pharisees, scribes, elders, and chief priests.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was in fulfilment of the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 which was meant to contrast the majesty and the humility of the Savior; portraying the Messiah as a humble king arriving on a donkey, ”Rejoice greatly O daughter Zion! Shout aloud O daughter Jerusalem! Lo your king comes to you triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” What a humble animal our Lord chose to ride upon! Would I have chosen another form of transportation? Jesus’ appearance on a donkey instead of a horse conveys an essential element of His messiahship. He is a Messiah who was born in a stable rather than a palace. A Messiah who would be the champion of the oppressed and the marginalized. His appearance on a donkey proclaims His servant Ministry, rather than the royal entry of a king. The entire city is stirred and the crowds spread their cloaks and branches on the road to adorn Jesus’ path shouting praises “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9). Jesus knew the painful agony that the same crowd who are welcoming Him with Hosanna would in a few days hand Him over and cry out for His crucifixion. Palm Sunday is a day of contrasts; a day of celebration and reverence and it foreshadows the coming pain and betrayal.
Do we strive to continue in our path to be like Jesus who remained steadfast? In seeing ourselves as one in the crowd singing Hosanna, we are reminded how fleeting human approval can be, and that enthusiasm is easy. We sense the betrayal and bitter Passion to come for our Lord, and in turn sense the likelihood where we can choose not to follow Jesus when the cost of following Him is great.
Jesus sees beyond our outward actions, he sees our hearts, our fears, motives, like the crowd we come to Him with our own beliefs, stages in life – but Jesus calls us to look beyond our circumstances, and trust in His greater purpose, to recognise Him as the true King over our very lives. Palm Sunday is an invitation to take courage, surrender, to not only lay down our cloaks and branches but our pride, hardened hearts, fears, exhaustion and anxieties from daily life, jadedness, procrastination, and lethargy.
Jesus the king of kings, chose to come in humility and peace, fulfilling the will of the Father regardless of the cost; not demanding submission but invited people to follow Him in hope and love. As we reflect on this day, we are called to follow Him in humility, and in our understanding of others. His entry into Jerusalem was not about political change but spiritual restoration, to redeem mankind of their sins, to bring people back into relationship with God, and to life, life eternal - the true victory of Palm Sunday, a victory that comes through the cross.
The first reading taken from the prophet Isaiah 50, is one of the four servant songs. The early Christian writers identified the suffering servant with Jesus. It is set in the context of the Babylonian exile. Responding to the people’s complaint of utter abandonment by God, prophet Isaiah asserts that their sins were responsible for their exile, in their not answering God’s call and in their disbelief in God’s promises of deliverance. Isaiah writes that God has given the servant a tongue to teach and encourage the people, and ear to hear God and to hear the people. The servant's preaching unsettles those who are living a comfortable life by oppressing others. The reading foretells Jesus’ Passion where the servant suffers at the hands of His enemies, scourging, abuse, and humiliation. Although the servant experiences violent opposition, He allows God to put it right and did not turn away or hide from insults and spitting (Isaiah 50:6). He places His trust in God, confident that He will triumph over His adversaries “The Lord God is my help. Therefore, I am not disgraced. I have set my face like flint. I know I shall not be shamed.” (Isaiah 50:7)
The suffering servant could have avoided all the pain and persecution. Jesus could have lived a peaceful life had He chosen not to enter Jerusalem. In those times when we face anguish, pain, loss, or opposition - we pray to follow Christ Jesus’ example, for His wisdom, mercies and graces in difficult times, courage and hope to follow Him always.
The second reading from St Paul's letter to Philippians 2, celebrates the triumph of Jesus through His selflessness. He empties himself of all claims to divine glory and honour, to become a human being not of high status but a lowly slave serving others. He humbles himself even to the point of dying a slave's death, for the shameful and torturous form of execution by crucifixion was reserved for slaves and rebels against Roman rule. “God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord” (2Phil: 9-11). St Paul exalts us to emulate Christ Jesus, to be united in Him in mind, to self-empty ourselves, and to serve one another as we serve Christ.
The passion narrative from the Gospel of Matthew 27, is a profound journey of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and victory reflecting on service, repentance, and divine love. When we put ourselves in this journey, the many sufferings of Jesus are heartbreaking - the beatings, the flogging, crowning with thorns, and the cruelty of the crucifixion. The suffering of betrayal of Judas, the denials of Peter, condemnation of the religious authorities, mockery of the guards, the cheering at the foot of the cross, rejection of many and abandonment of the disciples. Amid all these sorrows, Jesus on the cross cried out the voice of Scripture as in the Responsorial Psalm 21(22) “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In the last moments, He bears witness to the sacred writings (St. John Chrysostom 407).
He entrusted Himself into the hands of the Father and remained certain of the closeness of the Father. He continued to love His disciples who abandoned Him and left Him alone and forgave those who crucified Him. As Pope Francis in his Palm Sunday homily 2023, expressed the love of Jesus embracing us completely into the very end can transform our hard hearts into hearts of flesh, a love capable of mercy, tenderness, and compassion. Jesus stirs us to seek Him and to love Him in those who are themselves abandoned, to care for others who resemble Him the most, those experiencing extreme suffering, solitude, the poor, the elderly who are left alone or no one visits – so that we will be of one mind and heart with the one who emptied Himself for us.
In the link below, please listen in to the clip “In the Garden of Shadows” depicting the Garden of Gethsemane when fear overcame faith, and as darkness deepened the disciples gripped by panic and uncertainty fled into the night, leaving Jesus alone, the weight of abandonment, the struggle of the human heart, and the courage of Christ who remained. At this time of Holy Week, may this music draw you into a moment of reflection, stillness, and prayer.
Click on the link: In the Garden of Shadows
As St. Josemaria Escriva (c.1902) wrote, if we are to accompany Christ in His glory at the end of Holy Week, we must first enter into His holocaust (His total self-offering on the Cross) and be truly united to him. There is no better path than walking hand in hand with Mother Mary. May our blessed Mother Mary help us obtain the grace we need so that these days will leave a deep imprint on our souls. Let this week be, for each of us, an opportunity to grow in God’s love, so we may make that Love known to many others.
Wishing all a happy and blessed Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
Article by Olivia Tan, HFC Blog Contributor

