Palm Sunday: A Lenten sprint to Easter
To preface a wonderful letter from another local that will run a day before Easter Sunday, I want to share a few of my own personal Lenten thoughts with you all here because I, too, am a local.
In Christian churches across the world, the day to remember the triumphant entrance of Jesus of Nazareth into Jerusalem will be commemorated by the blessing, waving and tying into little green/ yellowish crosses – also known as “Palm Sunday” – was be celebrated on March 24.
For Roman Catholics (pun intended), it’s a longer than normal service, as the scriptural readings go through a good chunk of the Gospel in a slightly dramatized fashion, where extra readers are used to voice Pontius Pilate, Jerusalem’s then-elders, some of Jesus’ closest followers, and the congregation (usually) voices the crowds of the time of Jesus’ passion and death.
I always thought it odd the Church decides a week in advance to proclaim the passion as a whole because, after all, we have the entirety of Holy Week square ahead of us —but see, that is the point.
In this final week of preparation for Easter, the re-reading of the Passion of Christ (in scripture/ not the movie, though feel free to watch that again too) is to help us believers focus on the one sacrifice for all. It’s as if the entire week is one long “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Some of the most beautiful liturgy is celebrated during Holy Week, my favorite being the Holy Thursday’s act of humbly washing of feet, and commemorating the Last Supper (which rings different for me on this day, but is no less greater than other Eucharistic celebrations).
While some of us have come a long way in Lent – and some have had many trials along the way – I encourage you to sprint to the finish! As they say, “sometimes the night is darkest before the dawn.” True believers, don’t let your struggles, worries, doubts or anything going on your life hinder you from recognizing your God has come to free you. Seek and draw nearer to Him. Love him back, because He loves you more than you can imagine.
– Roman Flores, El Centro