Mass Readings: Is 50:4-7 Ps 21 Phil 2:6-11
Lk 22:14-23:56
Key Verse to Meditate: "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done" (Lk 22:42).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Today we enter into the most sacred time of the Church’s liturgical year—the Holy Week—with the celebration of Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. This day marks the triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. It was not triumphal in the worldly sense, for by the end of the week, Jesus would be condemned, tortured, and crucified. Yet, it was triumphal in the divine sense, for in this week, the ancient prophecies of the Messiah's suffering, death, and resurrection would be fulfilled. Jesus’ hour of glory and ultimate victory had come—not in the form of conquest, but through His self-emptying love and His death on the Cross for the salvation of the world.
In the history of the world, there is no one like Jesus, who entered gloriously into His own death and emerged from it victoriously. He overcame death, human cruelty, and the powers of darkness—not by force, but by surrender, obedience, and love. The liturgy of the Word today, especially the Passion narrative from the Gospel of St. Luke, presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant, who fulfils the Father’s plan through His willing sacrifice.
The Royal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
After forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we arrive today at this momentous celebration. Palm Sunday recalls the royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem before His Passion. In previous years, Jesus had entered the holy city for the Passover feast—as the Gospel of John tells us, "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did" (Jn 2:23). But this time, something is profoundly different. This would be Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem—He enters not as a conquering hero, but as a humble King, riding on a donkey, knowing full well that He is entering into His suffering and death.
Already in Luke 9:51, we read that Jesus "set His face resolutely to go to Jerusalem"—a powerful expression of His unwavering commitment to fulfill His mission. He is determined to do the will of the Father, even though it leads to the Cross.
The First Reading: The Obedient Suffering Servant
The First Reading from the prophet Isaiah gives us a prophetic image of the suffering Messiah: “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard. I did not hide my face from insult and spitting… I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame” (Is 50:6–7).
Isaiah speaks of a servant who does not retaliate, who does not flee suffering, but embraces it with trust in God. This image is perfectly fulfilled in Jesus, whose strength lies not in resisting pain, but in obediently offering Himself for the redemption of humanity. His obedience was not a sign of weakness, but of unwavering trust in the Father’s plan.
The Second Reading: Christ’s Humility and Exaltation
St. Paul, in the Second Reading from Philippians, deepens this image: "Though He was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant... He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross" (Phil 2:6–8).
This obedience of Jesus was not born out of fear or
compulsion, but from love and trust in the Father. It was a holy obedience that
reveals to us the heart of Christ—a heart willing to lay down everything for
the sake of sinners. As seen also in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel, this
act of obedience and sacrifice was meant to gather all into one people, with
one Lord and one everlasting sanctuary. Jesus came not only to seek the lost,
but to give His life as a ransom for all.
A Call to Embrace the Cross
As we listen today to the recounting of Christ’s
Passion, we are not mere spectators. We are called to meditate deeply on His
suffering, and more importantly, to embrace the cross in our own lives. For
just as Christ found victory through the Cross, so too do we find meaning and
hope in our own sufferings when united to His.
This is the paradox of the Christian faith: victory through the Cross, glory through humility, and life through death. St. Paul affirms this when he says, “Therefore God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9–11).
The Gospel Reading: Palm Sunday – The Passion of the
Lord
The Gospel of Passion Sunday from the Gospel of Luke invites us to contemplate both the humility and the majesty of Christ’s kingship. On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem to the warm welcome and joyful acclamations of the people who hail Him as King. Yet, by the end of the week, as the Gospel narrative unfolds in the Passion reading, we are confronted with betrayal, arrest, suffering, and the death of Christ on the Cross.
The narrative is rich with dramatic and deeply moving events. We see the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the foretelling of Peter’s denial, the betrayal by Judas with a kiss, and the trials before Pilate and Herod. We witness the shifting mood of the crowd, stirred up by religious leaders to demand the crucifixion of the very one they had praised days earlier.
There are many other characters who pass through the Passion story—the mocking soldiers, the weeping women of Jerusalem, the repentant thief, and finally, the Roman centurion who proclaims, “Truly, this was the Son of God.” Each of them offers us a mirror into our own hearts and responses to the suffering Christ.
The Passion of Christ is not merely a story of pain—it is the path of love, sacrifice, and salvation. What draws our deepest attention is Jesus' total surrender to the will of the Father and His willing embrace of the Cross for our sake. His supreme act of love on the Cross is a personal gift to each one of us. He shed His precious blood to reveal the depth of God's mercy, the vastness of God's heart toward sinners, and the seriousness of our redemption.
Jesus shows us how vital it is to accept and do the will of God, no matter the cost. His Passion teaches us that true kingship is found not in power and glory, but in humble service, self-giving love, and obedience to the Father. As we journey through Holy Week, may we walk closely with Christ, not only waving palms in joy but also standing by Him at the foot of the Cross, learning to trust, to surrender, and to love as He loved.
Obedience to the Will of God
Obedience to the will of God—even unto death—is at the heart of Christ’s mission and the supreme expression of divine love. In Jesus' passion, we witness God's immense love, boundless mercy, and the complete forgiveness of the sins of all humanity—past, present, and future. This is not merely a theological truth but a personal invitation to each of us. The fear of death did not deter Jesus; rather, it was His deep and unfailing love for each one of us that led Him to lay down His life as a ransom for all (cf. Mk 10:45; Mt 20:28).
St. Paul captures this mystery so beautifully when he exclaims, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20). This statement is not only Paul's testimony—it is meant to become our own lived experience, a response to the unfathomable love of Jesus who gave Himself up for each of us personally.
Redemption Through the Cross of Jesus Christ
As we commemorate Palm Sunday, the Church invites us to fix our gaze upon the Cross, the instrument through which redemption entered the world. The Cross, once a sign of shame and defeat, becomes in Christ the throne of glory and the path to victory.
Are we ready to take up our daily crosses and follow Jesus through His suffering and pain? It is rightly said: no pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. The Passion of Christ teaches us that the greatest rewards often come through the deepest trials. Just as we pay more for something valuable, salvation came at the highest cost—the life of the Son of God.
Though the suffering of Jesus was excruciating, He bore it willingly out of love for us. His crucifixion was not forced upon Him; it was a conscious offering. The question we must ask ourselves is: if Jesus paid such a price for me, am I selling myself short for things that are not worth that price?
To create something truly beautiful, or to achieve something truly great, one must often endure pain and loss. Jesus emptied Himself of divine privilege, humbled Himself, and took on the form of a servant to fulfill the Father’s will. He remained faithful unto death. This is the call of Palm Sunday: to be obedient to the will of God, no matter the challenges we face. Choosing the easy way often leads us away from our true calling. The path of holiness is rarely smooth, but it is always redemptive. That which does not challenge us cannot transform us.
A King of Surprises
Jesus is a King like no other—a King who surprises us at every turn. He is humble, gentle, and full of compassion. He enters Jerusalem not on a royal chariot, but riding a borrowed donkey (cf. Zech 9:9). He does not seek applause or acclaim but desires to win hearts through humility, poverty, and patience.
Between Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial, He offers His whole self in the form of bread and wine—the new covenant of love. On Golgotha, He is stripped of all earthly dignity. Naked and seemingly defeated, He reigns from the Cross—a throne of wood and pain, yet crowned with eternal glory.
He is a King without a sceptre, fragile and defenceless, yet infinitely powerful in His love. When Peter tried to defend Him with a sword, Jesus reminded him that the Father could send legions of angels—but He had come to fulfill the will of God (cf. Ps 39:7–9). He chose weakness to demonstrate the strength of divine love. He died in solitude, much like the many who perished alone during the pandemic. Even then, a sign was needed: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Yes, He is truly King, but not the king we expected. He is the King of Hearts.
Abandonment, Solitude, Poverty, and Death
One of the most profound and mysterious aspects of the Cross is that Jesus did not merely save us from death; He saved us in death, by fully sharing in our humanity—our fragility, our suffering, and our loneliness.
This is the greatness of divine love: that Jesus meets us in our most vulnerable moments. His weakness becomes the most radiant expression of His love and power. The Palm Sunday readings capture the entire journey of Christ’s earthly mission—moving from jubilant praise to solemn silence, from public acclaim to public rejection, from life to death.
But this is not the end. We await the dawn of Resurrection. As we enter Holy Week, let us journey with Jesus more intimately than ever before. Let us live these sacred days not merely as spectators, but as true disciples.
A Call to Deep Conversion
This year, the Lord invites us to a profound conversion. He calls us to put on Christ (Rom 13:14), especially in solidarity with all who continue to suffer, especially due to the ongoing consequences of sickness, poverty, and global crises. May this Holy Week become for us a moment of healing, renewal, and deeper union with our Lord.
Let us ask ourselves: What does the Passion of Christ mean to me personally? Can the story of salvation that we have just commemorated bring us hope in times of abandonment, suffering, and sickness—like the trying days of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Though we may not be able to take part in the Palm Sunday celebrations with processions and gatherings as before, let us raise the spiritual palms of our hearts and say with faith and humility: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Points for Personal Reflection
As we begin Holy Week, we are invited to meditate deeply on the Passion of the Lord, vividly narrated in all four Gospels. Today’s account from the Gospel of Luke presents a mirror to our own hearts.
At times, we may find ourselves like Pilate—choosing convenience over conviction; like Herod—curious but indifferent; like Peter—full of good intentions but faltering in courage; like the crowd—easily swayed. Yet, this very Passion that exposes human failure also reveals God’s infinite mercy.
Holy Week is the celebration of divine love overcoming human weakness. The Cross leads to the Resurrection. Suffering gives way to glory. Death is conquered by life.
As we reflect on Christ’s passion this Palm Sunday, let us ask:
What attitude do I want to carry home and live out this week?
Let us enter this Holy Week with deep reverence and devotion. May our hearts not only wave palms in celebration but also stand firm with Jesus at the foot of the Cross. Let us walk with Him, suffer with Him, and rise with Him in glory.
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