Palm Sunday teaches us that following Christ is renouncing ourselves
Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, because it celebrates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem riding on a donkey – the symbol of humility – and acclaimed by the simple people who applauded Him as “He who comes in the name of the Lord”. These people, a few days ago, had seen Jesus resurrect Lazarus of Bethany and were amazed, as they were sure that this was the Messiah announced by the prophets, but these same people had been mistaken with the type of Messiah that Christ was. I thought he was a political Messiah, a social liberator, who would snatch Israel from the clutches of Rome and return it to the height of Solomon’s times.
To make it clear to these people that He was not a temporal and political Messiah, an ephemeral liberator, but rather the great Liberator from the root of all evil, then the Lord enters the great city, the Jerusalem of the patriarchs and kings. sacred, riding on a donkey; expression of earthly smallness. He is not a King of this world! In this way, Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, which mixes the cries of hosannas with the cries of the Passion of Christ. The people welcomed Jesus by waving their olive and palm branches.
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The branches remember our baptism
These branches signify victory: “Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel; hosanna in the highest.” The holy branches remind us that we are baptized, children of God, members of Christ, participants in the defenders of the Catholic faith, especially in these difficult times when it is devalued and trampled on. The sacred branches that we take to our homes, after Mass, remind us that we are united with Christ in the same fight for the salvation of the world, the arduous fight against sin, a path towards Calvary, but which will lead to the Resurrection.
The meaning of the Palm Procession
The meaning of the Procession of Palms is to show this pilgrimage on earth that each Christian undertakes on the way to eternal life with God. It reminds us that we are just pilgrims in this world so fleeting, so transitory, which wears out so quickly and shows us that our homeland is not in this world, but in eternity; here we live only in a quick exile in search of the Father’s house.
The one on Palm Sunday brings Saint Luke’s narrative about the Passion of Our Lord Jesus, His mortal anguish in the Garden of Olives, the Blood shed with sweat, the treacherous kiss of Judas, the prison, the mistreatment caused by the hands of the soldiers in the house of Annas, Caiaphas; His iniquitous trial before Pilate, then, before Herod, His condemnation, the people shouting “crucify Him, crucify Him”; the slaps, the humiliations, the path taken to Calvary, the help of the Cyrineus, the consolation of the holy women, the terrible wood of the cross, His dialogue with the good thief, His death and burial.
Jesus’ “solemn” entry into Jerusalem
Jesus’ “solemn” entry into Jerusalem was a prelude to His pains and humiliations. That same crowd that honored Him, motivated by His miracles, now turns its back on Him and many ask for His death. Jesus, who knew the hearts of men, was not deluded. How much falsehood there is in the attitudes of certain people! How many lessons this Palm Sunday leaves us with!
The Master teaches us, with facts and examples, that His Kingdom, in fact, is not of this world. That He did not come to overthrow Caesar and Pilate, but to overthrow a much worse and invisible enemy: sin. And for this it is necessary to immolate oneself, accept the Passion, go through to destroy death; lose your life to gain it. The Lord Jesus disappointed many; they thought He was going to drive Pilate away and reimpose the reign of David and Solomon in Israel; but He comes riding on a fragile and poor donkey.
Many think: “What Messiah is this? What liberator is this? He’s a faker! He is a deceiver who deserves the Cross for having deceived us.” Perhaps Judas was the one who was greatly disappointed. Palm Sunday teaches us that the struggle of Christ and the Church, and consequently ours as well, is the struggle against sin, disobedience to God’s Sacred Law, which today is trampled even by many Christians who They prefer to live a “light” Christianity, adapted to their tastes and interests, and according to their convenience. As Benedict XVI said, “the dictatorship of
Palm Sunday teaches us that following Christ means renouncing ourselves, dying on the earth like a grain of wheat in order to bear fruit, facing unpleasantness and offenses because of the Gospel of the Lord. He takes us away from comfort and ease, to place us before the One who came into the world to save it.
Felipe Aquino
Professor Felipe Aquino is a widower, father of five children. On TV , he presents the program “Escola da Fé” and “Pergunte e Responderemos”, on Radio he presents the program “No Coração da Igreja”. On weekends he holds in-depth meetings throughout Brazil and abroad. He wrote 73 books on Catholic formation for publishers Cléofas, Loyola and. Teacher page: and Twitter: