Palm Sunday: Sunday of the Passion

Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. This Sunday observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, with the crowds who were in Jerusalem for Passover waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king. The gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, and, in so doing, emphasized the humility that was to characterize the Kingdom he proclaimed. The irony of his acceptance as the new King by the crowds who would only five days later cry for his execution should be a sobering reminder of the human tendency to want God on our own terms. We participate in the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration as we process into the church behind our faithful donkey, Toy.

This Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday to commemorate the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus’ final agonizing journey to the cross. The English word passion comes from a Latin word that means “to suffer,” the same word from which we derive the English word patient. In church we read the Passion Narrative, which is the biblical story of Jesus being brought before the authorities and the people, who then call for his death.