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April 13, 2025Today is Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, the sixth and final Sunday of Lent. As we enter Holy Week, the readings of Palm Sunday invite us to reflect on the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice and the meaning of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
It is a time of perplexity, and contradiction. The very people who applaud Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem that morning, shouting out “Hosanna” are within a week crying “Crucify Him’. They will go from acclaiming Him as the new King of Israel to urging His life be traded in favor of a convicted criminal; they first praised Him and then mocked Him.
The palms we take home serve to remind us that Palm Sunday is not lost to the ages but that by Christ’s victory we, too, can achieve everlasting life. For us the palms are symbols of triumph, indicative of the victory to be won in our battle against the evil in ourselves and against the evil which roams about us. As we receive the blessed palm, let us renew our pledge to conquer with Jesus, but let us not forget that is was on the cross that he conquered.
The events of Holy Week invite us to reflect on our own commitment to following Jesus’ example to live with humility and selflessness. We are called to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter by considering our own responses to Jesus’ sacrifice and our own willingness to follow his teachings.