Cycle A - Year 1:  

9 April 2017: Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

(Liturgical Color: Red)

Gospel Readings: 

Part 1 - Matthew 21:1-11

Part 2 - Matthew 27:11-54

A journey of love with Jesus!

This Sunday we begin our journey with Jesus on His way of the cross as we also anticipate His Resurrection on Easter.

At the start of the week the Church celebrates Palm Sunday. The liturgy has two Gospel readings, .

both of them from Matthew. The first Gospel reading is about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which will be read after the blessing of palm branches and before the Mass proper. The second Gospel reading is during the Mass, which narrates the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us reflect on both these Gospel proclamations

Palm Sunday: (Mt 21:1-11):  Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem for the last time. The people greeted Him: "Hossana to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hossana in the highest!" Then the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from trees and strewed them on the road. Jesus comes as a gentle, humble bearer of the Good News, and not as a conquering warrior.

Going to Jerusalem was a decisive step in completing Jesus' mission as He makes final preparation for His journey to Calvary. Amidst the shouts and welcome by the large crowds, Jesus sees beyond their noise His suffering, torture and death on the cross of salvation. In Matthew's Gospel, the story of Jesus' Passion and death focuses particularly on the obedience of Jesus to the will of the Father.

In the Church's liturgy, Palm Sunday marks our entry into the holiest season of Holy Week. 

The Passion and Death of Jesus: (Mt 27:11-54)  In the second Gospel proclamation we

hear the same crowd who welcome our Lord in Jerusalem, but this time shouting a different tune as Jesus is brought before Pilate. This time they shouted: "Let him be crucified!"  And so the road to Calvary is sealed for Jesus; he is crucified and died on the cross. Notwithstanding His triumphal entry into Jerusalem ended in a journey of love to Calvary, as Jesus gave up His life to redeem us from our sin.

Reflection on the Gospel readings: We are also called to enter into our own "Jerusalem" even as we are challenged to surrender ourselves completely to the will of the Father. Sometimes, or even often times perhaps, we may not always understand. But we cannot waiver in our faith. We must trust God as our loving Father who cannot, and will never, forsake us, His children.

During the Holy Week, let us meditate more intently on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. God so loves us to give up His only Son to die in order to redeem us from our sin. There is no greater love than this: by His suffering, death and Resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ has bridged the gap between God and man.

We conclude our reflection with the words of Jose S. Palma, DD, Archbishop of Cebu:

"As we enter the most significant days of our faith, today we meet a God who can relate with us, who can walk with us along the way of the cross because he is fully human. He was able to endure every suffering because he is a God who is truly, madly, and deeply in love with us now and forever. Amen!"

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!