Palm Sunday is the door to Holy Week, especially the celebration of the Paschal Triduum, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The liturgy of these days invites us to be participants in this mystery and not just spectators, contemplating these events of the past. This means contemplating and renewing a saving fact here and now, especially in the Eucharist. To follow the way of Jesus is to enter into it, to follow him on the road to Jerusalem, to invite him to open our minds, our hearts and our lives to praise, honor and glorify him as our humble King who came to save us and to be with us, his people, forever.
This Sunday we are invited not only to listen to the detailed Passion of Our Lord, as narrated in the Gospel of Saint Luke, but also to reflect and meditate on this mystery of redemption of our salvation. We are invited to discover where Jesus continues to suffer and die in today’s world. We come together today to remember the redemptive passion and death of Jesus that changed our world. In this Palm Sunday Eucharist, we are invited to walk with Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, to join his procession and follow in his footsteps. Jesus sits at the table of the Last Supper and invites us to sit with him, to share in his Eucharist, his passion, his death – and later in his glorious resurrection. He invited his disciples to take up the cross, not just as an instrument of torture and death, but as a sign of purification in which we are given new life in him.
Let me say that Christ’s Passion is still present in our world in every man and woman who is deprived of their civil rights, in every human being who lacks what they need for a dignified existence, in every person who is mistreated or unjustly imprisoned and condemned to death, in those people who have to flee from their country to look for a safer place to live.
Jesus is present in the families and people who die crossing deserts, rivers and oceans in search of safety for their children, and in those who are discriminated against because of the color of their skin, their social status, their sexual orientation or where they come from. Jesus is manifested in every person who courageously stands up for a better world, who fights for justice, peace and civil rights for all, who works every day with honesty, love and compassion for their families. Jesus guides those who believe that with persevering faith and kindness we can build a caring and loving society that acts according to the commandments of God’s will.
Let me ask you a few questions: Do you think Jesus continues to suffer in this world? Do you think that innocent people are killed or treated unjustly in this society? Do you think everyone has what they need to live a decent life? How do you feel when an innocent person is found guilty? Is there anything we can do to make this world a better place for all of us?
Palm Sunday can be an occasion to review our lives, to ask ourselves not only about the suffering in the world, but also about how much our actions and omissions contribute to hurting and condemning people to death. Let us ask God that, by participating in this celebration and living it with faith, we may be transformed into new men and women in the light of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let us join Him today in His procession to Jerusalem, inviting Him to come and live in our hearts, minds, homes and families, proclaiming Him forever as our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.
Fr. Luis Segura, MSC