Dear brothers and sisters, It is amazing to think that it is Palm Sunday already. This week we will read the account of the Passion of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. Finally, the people of Jerusalem give Jesus a welcome fit for a king. The irony though is that although they greeted Him with palm branches and singing hosanna in the highest; He was destined to be crowned with thorns. His throne would be the cross upon which He reigned down a fatal blow to death itself. The very same people who praised Him as he entered Jerusalem would turn on Him and jeer Him at the foot of the cross.

We read the Passion in order to prepare our hearts for Holy Week, the most sacred week of the Church year. Today we hold in our hands palm branches. In the ancient world they were considered a sign of victory. For the Israelites in the Old Testament, the elegance and simplicity of this tree became a symbol of the just man or woman, the one in whom God triumphed. Today we wave them as a symbol of Christ’s victory. Victory over what? It is His victory over Original Sin. He reversed the disobedience of Adam with His obedience; even to the point of death. Jesus through His passion, death, and resurrection reversed the disobedience of Original Sin by taking our sins upon himself and offering the perfect sacrifice of love to the Father on our behalf. Let us take time during this week to reflect on the amazing gift of eternal life that Jesus has won for us.

Peace,

Fr. Mike