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Palm Sunday

This Sunday is called Palm or Passion Sunday, it is the first day of Holy Week which ends with the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday), three days which are the highlight of the Church year.

There are two Gospels proclaimed at Mass today, the first is proclaimed before the procession with palms and recounts Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The Jews thought that Jesus might be the promised leader (Messiah) who would lead them against the Roman oppressors. But by Jesus’ actions of healing, love, compassion and forgiveness he was not the kind of king they were expecting, he came as the King of peace.

All the readings from today’s liturgy focus on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ words on the cross are used as the Psalm response “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Maybe at some moments in our lives we find ourselves asking God the same question, particularly in times of suffering. Jesus’ self-giving love and obedience to his Father’s will is something to reflect upon when we are faced with what seems like impossible situations. All through Luke’s passion narrative we are presented with Jesus’ forgiving words and actions, which continually proclaim the Kingdom of God and we are invited to walk with Jesus in the final stages of his journey to the cross. There are details in Luke’s Gospel which are not found in the other Gospels as he describes the Way of the Cross and Jesus’ crucifixion. In Gethsemane when they come to arrest him Jesus heals the ear of the high priest’s servant after it has been cut off. On the road to Calvary, Jesus meets a group of ‘wailing women,’ preparing them for their future suffering. Only Luke recounts Jesus’ words of forgiveness spoken from the cross and the words spoken between Jesus and the good thief, highlighting Jesus’ gentleness. Jesus finally commends himself to his Father and prays, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” All these aspects of Luke’s Passion narrative show the depth of God’s love which touches all those who seek God’s help. This week ask yourself what your own response to God’s love and gentleness is. The people who shouted praises and “Hosanna” at the beginning of the week quickly changed to shouts of “Crucify him.” Am I a true disciple of Christ? Or am I fickle, quick to change my mind? Holy Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on Jesus’ offer of salvation and to pray “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom,” just like the good thief.

A reading from the Gospel of Luke 19: 28-40 – Procession with Palms 

Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany
at the place called the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples.
He said, “Go into the village opposite you,
and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
And if anyone should ask you,
‘Why are you untying it?’
you will answer,
‘The Master has need of it.’”
So those who had been sent went off
and found everything just as he had told them.
And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,
“Why are you untying this colt?”
They answered,
“The Master has need of it.”
So they brought it to Jesus,
threw their cloaks over the colt,
and helped Jesus to mount.
As he rode along,
the people were spreading their cloaks on the road;
and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of his disciples
began to praise God aloud with joy
for all the mighty deeds they had seen.
They proclaimed:
            “Blessed is the king who comes
                        in the name of the Lord.
            Peace in heaven
                        and glory in the highest.”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
He said in reply,
“I tell you, if they keep silent,
the stones will cry out!”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

For at the Mass verison, visit here.

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why?
  3. During this week we are invited to journey with Christ in the events of His passion and death. After Calvary there is hope in His resurrection. As we contemplate and celebrate these events may we enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s great love for us. 
  4. When gazing at the crucified Christ, make it the focal point of your family prayer and pray these words of Leo the Great, “True reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart on Jesus crucified and recognizing in him our own humanity.”
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare;
    i. The Bible reading from St Luke 22:14-23:56 
    ii. A candle
    iii. Cover the table with a red cloth
    iv. A computer/laptop with the readings and clips
    v. Crucifix
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested).
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊 

Today we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is the beginning of the holiest week in the church year because during this week we remember Jesus’ journey through Jerusalem and his death on the cross for our salvation. When we look at a crucifix we remember how much Jesus loves us.

  • We should not feel sad when we think of Jesus dying on the cross but praise Him as our King and say thank you for dying for our sins and preparing the way for us to meet Him in heaven.
  •  Palm leaf printout
  • Colours/pen or pencil
PrintoutDownload

Have you ever taken part in a procession or a parade? Maybe you have been to a village feast or maybe at school you had a procession for the crowning of Mary. A parade is a happy occasion and that is what we read about in today’s Gospel. Jesus and his followers were traveling to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate a big feast called Passover which lasts a whole week. As they came to a place called the Mount of Olives Jesus gave the disciples special instructions. “Go into that village over there where you will find a young donkey tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks what you are doing just say “the Lord needs it.” So the disciples did what Jesus asked them and they took the young donkey to Jesus.

They put one of their coats on the back of the donkey and Jesus rode comfortably on the donkey into the city. By this time many people heard that Jesus was coming, they were very excited and happy to see the person who had cured many sick people and had even raised Lazarus from the dead. There was a large crowd waving palm branches, singing and shouting praises to Jesus. They even threw their coats on the road in front of Jesus and shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.” But as exciting as all this was the people did not really know who Jesus was, they did not understand that His Kingdom was in heaven. Just a few days later at the end of the week the same people would be shouting, “Crucify Him!” because he was not the kind of king they wanted.

But we know the full story because after Jesus was crucified, he rose from the dead and he truly is our Lord and Saviour. The Good News is that we can shout “Hosanna!” which means ‘save now,’ we know that Jesus saves that he is our hope and salvation. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Sometimes we don’t always know what is ahead of us but we do know that God is with us and that he listens to our prayers. Just as Jesus journeyed through Jerusalem this week let us pray for all the people who are in need of our prayers.

Colour your palm leaf and on each section write down who you would like to pray for especially this week. Here are some ideas, ‘our world,’ ‘doctors and nurses,’ ‘friends,’ ‘family,’ ‘people in hospital,’ ‘people suffering in wars,’ ‘ourselves,’ you can add more people.

Cut out your leaf and stick it on your bedroom door and as you pass by it this week pray for one section.Listen to this song; I Will Sing Hosanna.

Sign of the cross.

God of love, open our hearts so that we can joyfully sing your praises. Thank you for sending your son Jesus who died on the cross to give us new life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen .

On Palm Sunday we hear two Gospel readings. The first tells us how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was greeted by the people who waved palm branches and shouted and praised Him. In the second we hear the details about Jesus’ passion and death on the cross.

  • Jesus’ death on the cross for our salvation was the greatest act of love for us. Even in his suffering and death Jesus shows us his way of love.
  • From the cross Jesus speaks words of forgiveness and promises that the good thief will be with him in paradise
  • Cross template
  • Colours/pencils
Cross templateDownload

Today it is Palm Sunday sometimes called Passion Sunday, it is the start of the holiest week of the Church year (Holy Week). The week finishes with the Easter Triduum (insert link https://www.catholicbrain.com/edu/videos/49554/1/easter-triduum) when we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We remember that Jesus died to save us.

What would you say to someone who asked you to describe Jesus? Maybe you would say that he is loving, caring, merciful, forgiving, trusting, honest, and patient, that he is our Lord and our saviour. How do you know this? Because he showed us his way of love and forgiveness as we read in today’s Gospel.  

This year we read the passion story from the Gospel of Luke and in it, Luke describes the details about the words spoken by Jesus on the cross and of the two criminals who were crucified with him. The two criminals were crucified one on the left and one on the right of Jesus. One of the criminals mocked Jesus like the crowd who were watching, he challenged Jesus by saying “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well.” The second one had a different attitude towards Jesus. He defended Jesus against the first thief saying they deserved their punishment but Jesus had done nothing wrong, he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” What exactly did the thief mean when he asked Jesus to think of him? He recognised Jesus as the Messiah who had come to save them and he was asking Jesus to forgive him for all the bad things that he had done in his life. This is why he is called the ‘good thief.’ He was willing to repent and say sorry, he was opening his heart to Jesus and asking for forgiveness. Jesus said in response, “Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Even in his own suffering Jesus was showing mercy and compassion to others, putting the needs of others before his own. 

Jesus’ words were addressed to the good thief but these words are also spoken to us. If we have faith in Jesus and are willing to follow his way of love, we will also be with him in paradise (heaven). Jesus loves us so much that he died for our sins and prepared the way for us to share the gift of eternal life with God in heaven. 

To help you think more about todays’ reflections print out the cross template. Draw in the centre a big heart and colour it. Write on the cross all the words which you thought about in the beginning, that is, all the words which describe Jesus. Such as, loving, forgiving, merciful, thoughtful, caring, unselfish, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Lamb of God, as many as you can and write them randomly on the cross and then colour the cross. Cut out the cross and stick it on your bedroom door. As you walk past the cross think about one of the words and say a small prayer in your heart in preparation for the celebration of Easter. Whilst you do this listen to the song; Love Come Down.

Sign of the cross.

Loving God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus who died on the cross to give us new life.

Help us to understand that Jesus’ death and resurrection has brought salvation to the world.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.