Liturgy Lesson for Palm Sunday: Triumphal Entry

March 16, 2008

Today is Palm Sunday, that day in Lent when we commemorate our Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the “foundation of peace” and the holy city. We begin with the blessing of palms for worship, invoking God’s intervention in our lives to make our worship and other actions more than just a corporeal event or “attendance,” instead asking Him to enter our hearts in triumph—as the Lord of those lives, in spirit and truth—a contrast to the crowds that outwardly hailed Jesus at his arrival, but then turned on Him, becoming the mob that demanded His blood on the Cross just hours later. With this prayer, we begin Holy Week—completing Lent’s spiritual creation of new and contrite hearts and preparing us for the joys of the Resurrection Sunday. May we, then, add to our “hosanna,” “Maranatha”—meaning “Come quickly, Lord,” as we give Him real Lordship in the Holy Cities of our Hearts.

Posted by Father Chip | Filed Under Liturgy Lessons