Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, April 13, 2025. Theme: The Message and Meaning of Palm Sunday
Today’s Gospel of Jesus’ triumphant entry into the holy city of Jerusalem is full of symbolism from our Jewish roots and ancient culture. So to better understand its rich biblical meaning, we need to know a bit about those things. First of all, in ancient times kings held victory parades and these came in two forms, depending upon which side of the war you were on. As a show of victory over those who had lost the battle the Champion would ride into their city triumphantly, to take possession of it. Then, once back in his own place, he would ride in glory for the homecoming amidst the cheers of his subjects who were praising his power and might.
This can help us understand what Christ the King was doing on that first Palm Sunday.
If Jesus had come into Jerusalem as a Warrior-King he would have ridden on a steed, a mighty military horse. But the Gospels want us to note that He rode on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah, showing that He was entering the holy city in humility and peace not for domination or violence. Also, the Gospels point out that He was coming into town through the city’s East Gate which was believed by the people to be the Gate by which the future Messiah would one day enter Jerusalem.
Palms were also a part of the backstory of Jewish culture and celebration. They were a symbol of victory, a sign of salvation, and the people would wave them amidst shouts of joy, crying out “Hosanna!” which means “Save us!. They especially did this on the Feast of Tabernacles which was celebrated to honor the future coming of the Messiah and his kingship. But that feast was celebrated in the Fall and they were doing it in the Springtime. This, together with their cheers of “Hosanna” and “Blessed be the king…” leave no doubt that they were welcoming the Messiah of Israel into the Holy City.
Palm Sunday is unique among our Catholic liturgies for two reasons, one of which is that the Gospel is proclaimed twice instead of just once. And in addition to having a double Gospel, today’s commemoration also has a double-name: it is officially called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This double-name reminds us that the King Whom we honor today with a procession of palms was ridiculed and nailed to a cross on Good Friday. This brings to mind a couple things that we can ponder during this Holy Week.
First, Palm Sunday shows us that we can be fickle Christians, often living as “fair-weather friends” of God. It’s so very easy for us to judge and condemn the cheering crowds of Jerusalem who then turned on Jesus just a few days later, calling for his crucifixion. They had been wanting a Messiah who would defeat the Romans and bring autonomy to Israel. So when the One they thought was the Messiah was arrested and taken captive by their oppressors, they concluded that they had been mistaken and saw their imagined hopes trashed. So they turned on Jesus because He wasn’t the kind of Savior-Messiah they wanted. And yet…before we point a finger at them…we have to stop and examine our own attitudes towards the Lord. Have we ever shaken a fist at God, like the people in that crowd, because He wasn’t acting like the kind of Savior we expected and wanted Him to be in our lives? And if so, we have to ask ourselves quite honestly if a relationship with Jesus is being sought by us primarily for our own personal benefit.
Second, Palm Sunday highlights our role in the Passion. The crucifixion of Christ was on the historical level planned by members of the Jewish leadership and carried out by the governor and soldiers of the Roman Empire. Today’s Liturgy wants us to see things deeper than just the historical and to realize that spiritually and truly we are among the actual participants in the Passion. This is why everyone has a part in the Gospel proclamation today. And like the crowd in Jerusalem on that first Good Friday, we have also called for the crucifixion of Christ, perhaps not with our lips but certainly by the choices we have made in our lives. Jesus suffered and died because of our sins, because they needed absolution, forgiveness. The history of each one of us shows that there have been times when we have betrayed Jesus with Judas; that we have denied Him with Peter; and that we have abandoned Him as did the other disciples. Every one of us can relate to Pilate’s cowardice in caving into social pressure and choosing popularity over doing what was right. Palm Sunday reminds us that we are indeed guilty parties to the Passion of Christ.
Despite the fickleness of our hearts and the litany of our sins, Christ died for us. And not just for “us” as in the cumulative sense of the entire human race. But He died for each one of us, individually and personally, as if you or I were the only ones in the whole universe who were in need of His salvation! And on top of all that, while struggling to breathe on the cross, He asked God the Father to forgive us because we truly do not realize the full extent of what we are doing when we choose to sin. But we know something that the Palm Sunday crowds in Jerusalem didn’t know about Jesus. His story didn’t not end at the cross. He completed the work of our salvation by rising from the dead, showing that the Father had accepted His offering for our sins and so we could now be free of them!
And so the palms we hold in our hands and carry in procession today are also a sign of the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His is a triumphant victory of love over hatred; of grace over sin; of forgiveness over condemnation; of eternal life over everlasting death. So when we bring our palms home and put them behind our crucifixes - or wherever you display yours during the Easter Season- let them be a silent but powerful reminder about the message they convey. Let them assure us that despite our fickleness and our failures; despite our part in contributing to His Passion, Jesus loves us beyond measure and calls each one of us to believe this wholeheartedly and to trust in Him with total confidence. Hosanna to our King!
No comments:
Post a Comment