Palm Sunday, also called Paschal Sunday, is the Sunday following the Saturday preceding Easter. It is an important date in the Christian church, as it is the day commemorating the Last Supper and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The last time we read the account of the final evening of the last week of Jesus’s earthly ministry was at the beginning of this series, just before his death. That evening, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and prepared them to receive his body as He ascended to heaven.
He also shared the bread and wine of the Eucharist with them, as He would do on Great Thursday, Good Friday, and Great Saturday. The final meal that evening was the climax of a series of Eucharistic meals that had occurred over the course of the last week. It was the culmination of everything Jesus had been about for the previous 30 days.
The next day, the disciples remembered everything Jesus had done for them during that time by following him as he was taken up to heaven. This was the end of Jesus’s public ministry. There would be no more preaching, no more miracles, no more parables.
He had done what he could to invite people to follow him and be saved, but they were going to have to do it on their own. This week, Palm Sunday, is the day on which the final week of Jesus’s life becomes its beginning. The ceremonies of the final week are replaced.
The Church’s liturgy is not only a means to communicate the faith but also a way to sanctify the faithful. It is through the Liturgy that the Church offers the faithful a means to stand in the presence of God and to live one’s life as a sign of one’s belonging to Christ and to the Church.
The liturgical year has a special significance for Palm Sunday. The Sunday that precedes Holy Week, Palm Sunday celebrates the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The text of this passage from the Gospel is rich with symbolism,
But the primary focus is on Jesus’ authority as the Christ, His kingship, and His humble servant approach. As a result, the Church’s liturgy is centered on Jesus, who is revealed as the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
