On Palm Sunday, the Church observes
the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem,
that was marked by the crowds who were in Jerusalem for Passover waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king
The Gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey,
enacting the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9,
and in so doing emphasized the humility that was to characterize
the Kingdom He proclaimed.
"...Behold thy King will come to thee, the just and saviour:
he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
The irony of His acceptance as the new Davidic King by the crowds
that would only five days later cry for his execution
should be a sobering reminder of the human tendency
to want God on our own terms.
" And they brought the colt to Jesus; and they lay their garments on him, and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way:
and others cut down boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And they that went before and they that followed, cried, saying:
Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh:
Hosanna in the highest." Mark 11:7-10
Traditionally, worshippers enact the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration.
It is customary in America to receive one or two single fronds
which have been blessed by the priest.
In many countries it is the custom to use full palm branches,
or to weave the fronds into beautiful crosses
or other shapes like doves and roses, etc.
Because the palms are blessed, they are now sacramentals,
which "are sacred signs instituted by the Church."
They prepare us to receive the fruit of the sacraments
and sanctify different circumstances of life.
Sacramentals should be treated with respect and never be thrown away. Palms may only be burned or buried.
In many parishes throughout the world, Palm Sunday is accompanied
by a processional which begins outdoors
and commences inside the Church with the offering of Holy Mass.
Family members can gather the palms from Mass
and make little palm crosses, one for each member of the family
and one for each room in the house.
There are a variety of ways to make the cross.
The simplest is to take two small pieces, one a little longer than the other, crisscross the pieces in shape of a cross and staple at the middle.
Another way is to make two small slits near the top
(where the crossbeam would be) in the longer piece of palm
and slide the cross beam through the slits.
Each person is given a palm cross to wear
on their coats or clothing throughout Holy Week,
to remind us to carry our cross patiently
so we may share Christ's Easter glory.
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الإثنين أبريل 06, 2015 1:54 pm
