Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Holy week is the week beginning on Palm Sunday and going to the First Mass of Easter. The worship is a bit different from the usual with more attention being paid to portraying the events that occurred the last week of Jesus earthly life.
Moods shift quickly and dramatically.
Palm Sunday has two parts. The first commemorates the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. It is not understood and sentimentalized. Jesus is no meek fellow because he is riding on an ass. This is how the kings of Judea entered the city during the enthronement festival each year.
Jesus was engaging in a radical act. Psalm 110 comes from the enthronement festival. “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” That’s the sort of implication that got the Jewish authorities very upset.
We reenact this by gathering in the court yard of the church, blessing and distributing palms and processing into the church. We find Jesus our Lord waiting for us enthroned in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
The Palm Sunday Mass focuses on the first reading of the Passion Gospel. Because of it’s length it dominates the liturgy of the word a no other act can. The triumphal entry is forgotten as we are brought to the foot foot of the cross. All of Holy Week is shrouded by the crucifixion which awaited Jesus and liturgically awaits all of us on Good Friday.
