Today, we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion during which we commemorate Christ’s entry into Jerusalem for the completion of the Paschal Mystery. Today marks the beginning of Holy Week, the reliving of the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The Holy Week is the holiest of all weeks in the entire liturgical year, seven days of celebration of Our Lord’s Passion, beginning with Palm Sunday and which ends on the glorious resurrection at Easter Sunday. On this day the Church recalls the triumphal entrance of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem in order to accomplish the Pascal Mystery: His Passion, death, burial, and resurrection for the salvation of all mankind. Jesus rode into the city on a colt as the crowd laid their cloaks and palm branches on the road before Him, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest!” The biblical account of Palm Sunday can be found in all four Gospels: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; and John 12:12-19.
In Liturgical Calendar preceding Vatican II, the Church celebrated Passion Sunday two Sundays before Easter, and then Palm Sunday was the beginning of Holy Week. The Church has combined the two to reinforce the solemnity of Holy Week. Palm Sunday is a moveable feast, meaning the date changes every year based on the Liturgical Calendar. Palm Sunday always falls one week before Easter Sunday. The date of the first observance of Palm Sunday is uncertain. A detailed description of a palm processional celebration was recorded as early as the 4th century in Jerusalem. The ceremony was not introduced into the West until much later in the 9th century.
Palm Sunday and Jesus’ Triumphal Entry in the Bible: Jesus traveled to Jerusalem knowing that this journey would end in His sacrificial death on the cross for the sins of all mankind. Before He entered the city, He sent two disciples ahead to the village of Bethphage to look for an unbroken colt: As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.'” (Luke 19:29-31, NIV). The men brought the colt to Jesus and placed their cloaks on its back. As Jesus sat on the young donkey, He slowly made His humble entrance into Jerusalem. The people greeted Jesus enthusiastically, waving palm branches and covering His path with palm branches: The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9, NIV). The shouts of “Hosanna” meant “save now,” and the palm branches symbolized goodness and victory. Interestingly, at the end of the Bible, people will wave palm branches once again to praise and honor Jesus Christ: After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. (Revelation 7:9, NIV).
On this inaugural Palm Sunday, the celebration quickly spread throughout the whole city. People even threw down their cloaks on the path where Jesus rode as an act of homage and submission. The crowds praised Jesus enthusiastically because they believed He would overthrow Rome. They recognized Him as the promised Messiah from Zechariah 9:9: 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. (NIV). Although the people did not fully understand Christ’s mission yet, their worship honored God: “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked Him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, ” ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” (Matthew 21:16, NIV). Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus Christ, He began His journey to the cross.
How Palm Sunday is Celebrated Today: Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday as it is referred to is the sixth Sunday of Lent and the final Sunday before Easter. Worshipers commemorate Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On this day, Christians also remember Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, praise God for the gift of salvation, and look expectantly to the Lord’s second coming. Many Christian churches, including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Moravian and Reformed traditions, distribute palm branches to the congregation on Palm Sunday for the customary observances. These observances include a reading of the account of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, the carrying and waving of palm branches in processional, the blessing of palms, the singing of traditional hymns, and the making of small crosses with palm fronds. In some traditions, worshippers take home and display their palm branches near a cross or crucifix, or press them into their Bible until the next year’s season of Lent. Some churches will place collection baskets to gather the old palm leaves to be burned on Shrove Tuesday of the following year and used in the next day’s Ash Wednesday services.
Liturgy for Palm Sunday: The Priests and Deacons wear red vestments for Mass. There is a special entrance at the beginning of each Mass, either simple or solemn. This includes a blessing of the palms and the Gospel reading of the entrance into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; John 12:12-16; Luke 19:28-40). The introduction by the priest explains the solemnity of Holy Week, and invites the faithful to take full part in the celebration: “Dear friends in Christ, for five weeks of Lent we have been preparing, by works of charity and self-sacrifice, for the celebration of our Lord’s paschal mystery. Today, we come together to begin this solemn celebration in union with the whole Church throughout the world. Christ entered in triumph into his own city to complete His work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again. Let us remember with devotion this entry, which began His saving work and follow Him with a lively faith. United with Him in His suffering on the cross, may we share His resurrection and new life.” The palms are blessed with the following prayer: Almighty God, we pray you bless these branches and make them holy. Today, we joyfully acclaim Jesus our Messiah and King. May we reach one day the happiness of the new and everlasting Jerusalem by faithfully following him who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
As faithful, we remember and dramatize Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey. In Jesus’ time, a huge crowd assembled, put their cloaks or branches on the ground, and waved palm branches, acclaiming Christ as the King of Israel, the Son of David We now wave our palm branches and sing as the priest enters the church: Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. These words of praise are echoed every day at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Sanctus (Holy, Holy). Our joy is quickly subdued. We are jolted to reality and see the purpose of Christ coming to Jerusalem by the reading of the Passion at the Gospel. Jesus Christ was sent into this world to wrest us from sin and the power of Satan, He underwent His Passion, the punishment for our sins, but issues forth triumphant from the tomb, the victor over death, making our peace with God and taking us with Him into the kingdom of His Father in heaven.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, a solemn week focusing on the final days of Jesus’ life. Holy Week culminates on Easter Sunday, the most important holiday in Christianity. As we enter into this time of most solemn commemoration of His Passion, His suffering and death during this Holy Week and the upcoming Easter Triduum, let us not just acclaim Him with our words and mouth only, but let us all acclaim Him from deep within our hearts. May He help us all to remain focused on Him, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may persevere ever more against the many challenges, trials, and temptations in life. May the grace and blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all on this Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion as we begin the Holy Week and always! Wishing all of us a most blessed, Holy, safe, fruitful, and grace-filled Holy Week. Amen 🙏🏽
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion | April 13, 2025 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/04/13/palm-sunday-of-the-lords-passion/
Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/