As we enter the sacred time we call Holy Week, the church overwhelms us with liturgy, Scripture and symbols. Each day has its own particular theme until we reach the climax of the liturgical year in the three-day liturgy we call the Easter triduum. Today's celebration, commonly called Palm Sunday, invites us to contemplate Jesus' last week on Earth, anticipating all that we will relive symbolically Thursday and Friday. Our readings from the Gospel of Mark begin with the crowds' exuberant but shallow adulation and end with Jesus' death on the cross.
Palm Sunday March 25, 2018 Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalms 22 Philippians 2:6-11 Mark 14:1-15:47
Unlike many other Christians, Catholics have cherished the crucifix, the image of Christ on the cross, as a "sacramental," a rich and challenging symbol of our faith. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacramentals are an extension of our liturgical life. For many, the sacramental, and especially depictions of Jesus' passion, are tangible reminders of their relationship with Christ. Some crucifixes seem almost bland, portraying a nearly emotionless Jesus. Others show him with an expression of immense sadness or in terrible suffering. The Eastern church, which favors stylized icons over lifelike representations, maintains a practice of iconography carried out according to a carefully disciplined and well-developed theology. Every crucifix or depiction of the Passion is an interpretation of this mystery and communicates a theology, often all the more powerful for being visual rather than verbal. Latin American churches are famous for depictions that emphasize Jesus' awful and bloody suffering. These images, like some famous Peruvian ones that portray Jesus with hands and feet distorted by unrelenting toil, emphasize Christ's union with those who suffer. People can gaze on him and know that God sympathizes with every human pain.
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Another related image, often called "The Just Judge," depicts Jesus after he was flogged, crowned with thorns and seated with a wooden staff for a scepter. He looks at the observer as a judge who has experienced the height of injustice. "The Just Judge" reveals that God knows the same feelings as those who have been treated wrongly and that God will not forget them. These images make the truth of the Incarnation palpable by showing the depth of God's identification with those who suffer. Often people's response to those images is to touch or even kiss them in gratitude and solidarity. Then, we have crucifixes that present Christ in some variety of priestly garments and/or wearing a crown. The icon called "The Great High Priest" depicts the victorious Christ garbed in a chasuble. This proclaims that Christ is, indeed, the high priest chosen by God to speak to humanity on God's behalf. He reigns over all things, including death. The message here is just what the Letter to the Hebrews says of Christ: He shared in humanity so "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death … and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life" (Hebrews 2:14-15).
In much less formal language, James Alison, in his book Jesus the Forgiving Victim: Listening for the Unheard Voice, describes this image as akin to Evel Knievel's extraordinary motorcycle stunts. Only after Knievel rode his bike over an abyss and through fire could other bikers think it was possible and eventually try it themselves. Similarly, Christ's victory on the cross, his ability to accept the cruelest sort of death with all its shame and abandonment, allows his followers to believe that, like Jesus, they can trust completely in God's love. Christ crucified reveals that nothing, not even death, is more powerful or more vital than God's love. In Alison's words, "Jesus' death and resurrection is God's way of proving that he is able and willing to hold humans in being through death ... so that we can, already, start to live as if death were not." One typical crucifixion icon depicts Jesus at the moment of death. His blood, flowing into the opened earth, symbolizes that the redemption reaches all who have died. Four women are grouped at his right, comforting one another; all they can do is be present to him and to one another. On the other side, John hides his face while the centurion looks up, declaring what no one else could say in the face of this scene: "Truly, this man was the Son of God."
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THE first day of the holy week is nearly upon us as Easter Sunday fast approaches.
But what is the story behind Palm Sunday, and does it always take place on the same day each year? Here's all you need to know about the celebration... Getty - Contributor
Parishioners often carry palms into church, commemorating Jesus' journey into the Holy City before his death
When is Palm Sunday 2018?
This year the Christian feast falls tomorrow, March 25.
The date changes year to year.
But it always falls exactly exactly seven days before Easter Sunday.
What is the story behind it?
The Christian feast celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Palm Sunday marks the moment when the son of God entered the holy city on the back of a donkey.
Believers use the day to remember Jesus' entry into the city, before he was betrayed, killed and resurrected.
Palm branches are widely recognised as a symbol of peace and victory, and were thrown before the feet of conquering heroes in biblical times.
Gospel writers says crowds lay palm branches and clothes at his feet to honour Jesus as he arrived in Jerusalem.
It was predicted in the Old Testament that people would recognise the Messiah when he rode into the city and lay palms at his feet.
All the Gospels detail how Jesus rode into the Holy City on a donkey that had never been ridden before - showing he came in peace.
Getty - Contributor In many countries, believers create crosses from palm fronds as a celebration of the festival
How is it celebrated?
Palm Sunday is celebrated differently throughout the Christian world.
In the UK during Palm Sunday Mass, palms are distributed to parishioners.
They then carry them in a ritual procession into church, where the leaves are blessed with holy water.
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People may also be given small crosses made of palm fronds to take home.
In countries where palms are unavailable, believers use pussy willow or other types of branches to mark the festival.
In some traditions, a donkey forms part of the Palm Sunday parade.
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Cardinal Tagle leads the blessing of palm fronds (palaspas) outside the Manila Cathedral, while the same ritual takes place in other Philippine churches
Published 7:44 AM, March 25, 2018
MANILA, Philippines – Holy Week 2018 began with the blessing of palm fronds (palaspas) in churches across the Philippines on Palm Sunday, March 25.
Palm Sunday reenacts the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem before his passion and death on Good Friday.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle led the blessing of palm fronds outside the Manila Cathedral at 7 am on Sunday, while the same ritual took place in parishes such as Baclaran Church.
Check the Palm Sunday photos from different churches below.
– Rappler.com
In different parts of the country, some people can be seen near churches, busy adorning palm fronds ahead of Palm Sunday
Published 4:29 PM, March 24, 2018
MANILA, Philippines – Palaspas or palm fronds carry an important meaning for Christians.
On Palm Sunday, churches reenact the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, days before his passion on the cross. Parishioners wave their palaspas, which the priest blesses. These are brought home by churchgoers. (READ: Holy Week traditions in the Philippines)
In different parts of the country, some people can be seen near churches, busy adorning palm fronds days ahead of Palm Sunday. (ANIMATION: How do Filipinos observe Holy Week?)
Most of the sellers who make the palaspas right in front or in the vicinity of churches travel all the way from Laguna, and make their way to different parts of Luzon, some landing in Metro Manila and Baguio City, among other areas.
– Rappler.com
