Passion Sunday
Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord.
Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday as it is called in Tradition, features the longest Gospel reading of the year, while as children we might have found it drawn out as they are prone to do, the people of Israel had been waiting for a long time for the Messiah to arrive as we are waiting now for the Lord Jesus Christ to return. Today we celebrate the arrival of the Messiah, the King of Kings has arrived after hundreds of years. The last great prophet arose in Jerusalem, 400 years ago to be exact.
The Lord Jesus Christ will in just a few days be Crucified and save humanity from its destruction claiming the victory over evil, we are now entering the Holy Week, a time in which many increase prayers, fasting and good works. Passion Sunday bares many distinct features, we of course receive palm Leaf’s which are to be kept throughout the year as reminders of Christs arrival, his crowing of Glory as King of Kings and his crucifixion and Resurrection, they also bear witness to our faith, that we are the people who greeted Jesus in the right manor, not the people who denied him at the palace of Pontus Pilate.
As a note, most Scholars agree that the crowds that greeted Jesus when he arrived in Jerusalem riding upon a Colt (Donkey) never before rode on (another Jewish sign of Kingship) where in fact not the crowds that called for his punishment at the palace of Pontus Pilate, in the gospel it mentions that these crowds had followed Jesus to Jerusalem so where not residents of that city for the most part.
The Palms represent the palms, coats and greenery that was laid down before Jesus as he entered the great city of Jerusalem. Dr Brad Pitre points out this could in-fact represent not just acknowledgment by the crowd that the King had arrived but also on a more prophetical level the fact that the lord is new Adam as many Jews believed at the time that the Garden of Eden had an olive Garden in it, this use of olive branches and other greenery represented the arrival of the new Adam to right the wrongs of the father of our race. Also, it should be noted the Lord after the last super spent the night praying to do his Fathers will in the Garden of Olives, making the right choice obeying his Fathers will and not taking the poisoned fruit of being spared the cross, but instead chose to Die to save humanity from our sins in act of love never to be surpassed.
At the beginning of the mass the faithful will either process with the priests or got to another building or room and then process with the priests marking the procession of Jesus into Jerusalem but also in a figurative way marking his entry into Jerusalem and up to heaven which commentates his journey into the city to the cross and then to Heaven to take up his Seat at the right hand of the Father, also this is a reversal of our decline being banished from the Garden of Eden into the world.
What we must know is that palms being picked by the crowds and now held by us represent the belief that prophecy in Psalm 118 that says the Messiah will arrive in the name of the Lord “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord” both mentioned in Psalm 118:26 and Mark 11:19 also they are recreating the arrival of Davidic Kings such as in 2 kings 9:13.
Here we are declaring to the world the Messiah has come, so the little Palms we keep on our desk at the office, in the living room or by our home altar have a very rich history and theological significance.
I recommend enjoying this Sunday and preparing for a holy week in which we should all take part as much as we are able and is prudent in the liturgical life of the church by attending mass, adoration and public prayers as much as possible and where we are not able to do extra works of charity which could be something as small as praying for someone specifically or helping a neighbor. An increase in prayers Is also a good idea, maybe reading one of the approved mystics of the church such as Blessed Anne Emmerich’s account of the passion and without a doubt reading the Bible accounts of the Passion is fundamental.
For a deeper understanding of the great spiritual meaning behind our faith I highly recommend the works of Dr Brad Pitre, many of his videos can be found at Catholic Productions on YouTube, his books are well worth a read and available at most book shops. If you are looking for some nice music to listen to check out Adoration of the Cross and this Palm Sunday chant Duxerunt Pullum Ad Jesus.