Palm Sunday
Feast Day: Sunday Before Easter
On Sunday, the crowd shouted “Hosanna!”
By Friday, many voices were shouting “Crucify him!”
Palm Sunday is the strangest parade in history.
And every one of us has been in that crowd.
Hosanna to the Son of David.
The King Rides In
Jesus entered Jerusalem a few days before the Passover.
He did not ride a war horse.
He rode a donkey.
Five hundred years earlier, the prophet Zacharias had said:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: BEHOLD THY KING will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass”
— Zacharias 9:9, Douay-Rheims
The crowds understood.
They spread their cloaks on the road, waved branches, and cried out:
“Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.”
— Matthew 21:9, Douay-Rheims
Why a Donkey?
A king riding a war horse comes to conquer.
A king riding a donkey comes in peace.
Jesus was announcing exactly what kind of King He is.
He did not come to overthrow Rome.
He came to overthrow sin and death.
(Fulton Sheen once joked that the donkey probably thought all the cheering was for him. Most of us have had days like that.)
Two Gospels in One Mass
Palm Sunday Mass begins with joy.
The palms are blessed, and the Gospel of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is read, often with a procession.
Then the mood changes.
At the Mass itself, the long Gospel of the Passion is read, from the Last Supper to the tomb.
The congregation often reads the part of the crowd, including the words “Crucify him!”
It is uncomfortable.
It is supposed to be.
What to Do With Your Palm
Blessed palms are sacramentals.
Many Catholics take them home and place them behind a crucifix or fold them into small crosses.
Old palms should not be thrown in the trash.
They can be returned to the parish, where they are often burned to make the ashes for next year’s Ash Wednesday.
(See Ash Wednesday.)
When Is It Celebrated?
Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, is the Sunday before Easter.
It begins Holy Week, the most sacred week of the Church’s year.
Because Easter moves every year, so does Palm Sunday.
In 2027, it falls on March 21.
In 2028, it falls on April 9.
What Palm Sunday Teaches Us
Palm Sunday asks us an honest question.
Do we follow Jesus only when it is popular?
It is easy to wave a palm.
It is harder to stay with Him at the Cross.
Holy Week invites us to stay.
When Is Palm Sunday?
The Catholic Church celebrates Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord on the Sunday before Easter, the first day of Holy Week.
Prayer Inspired by Palm Sunday
Lord Jesus Christ,
You entered Jerusalem humble and riding on a donkey,
knowing the Cross was waiting for You.
Do not let our praise be only for a day.
Keep us faithful to You in joy and in suffering,
and walk with us through this Holy Week.
Hosanna to the Son of David. Amen.
