Today as we gather to celebrate Palm Sunday, we listen once again to the story of the last days of Jesus among us. We begin by Blessing Palm branches and recalling that triumphant entrance into the city of Jerusalem. People were laying palms before Him on the streets as He passed and hailing Him as the Messiah and Lord.
Our next encounter with Jesus is the very moving rendition of His passion and death. This year we read the account by St. Luke on Sunday and St. John on Good Friday.
The contrast between the glory of Palm Sunday and the deep suffering and pain of the passion is striking. It is amazing how people can be so fickle as they are influenced by the crowds around them. But we even see that phenomenon in our own world today.
Those who cheered Him on Sunday, jeered at Him on Friday! As we read through this moving account, perhaps we could picture ourselves somewhere in those crowds and allow our imagination to transport us back to those days. What was it like to observe, to be moved, to be angered, to feel helpless???
These days of the Sacred Triduum offer us the opportunity to walk the streets of Jerusalem. To reimagine the wondrous events of our salvation: The Last Supper; the Way of the Cross; the crucifixion; the laying in the tomb; and ultimately the glory of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday Morning.
Each year I am mesmerized by the details of this story and humbled by the depth of the love God has for each of us. Long before we even existed, God was willing to sacrifice His Son for our salvation.
“Lord let us walk that lonely road with you, under the weight of the Cross”.
Won’t you come and join us on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. for the celebration of this Sacred Triduum?