The season of Lent comes to an end.  When things come to an end we often reflect on our experiences.  I hope those experiences are enriching for us all.  This weekend we are thrust into Palm Sunday, when we experience a change in mood and pace and even find plentiful contradictions.

The change is also visible in the liturgy with the faithful processing with palms held to re-enact the triumphant scene of Jesus entering the holy city of Jerusalem.  The faithful also participate in the second Gospel reading through the Passion narration.

In the first gospel reading, on arrival the crowd welcome their king by chanting:

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!’

This chant reflects the people’s jubilant mood and high expectations.  Hosanna means “Save us”.  God, indeed, will save us but not in the way that people expected.  This is visually evident in Jesus’ choice of vehicle, riding low on the back of a donkey instead of a chariot.

In our second gospel reading when the faithful participate in the narration, the sequence of events take violent twists and turns, and so does the mood.  The crowd shout “Crucify him! crucify him!”  Their king will soon be enthroned on a cross.

This narration encapsulates Holy Week which includes the liturgy of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil.  Christians all over the world, who participate in the liturgy, will experience the richness of readings from sacred texts, intermittent silence, symbolic actions, and the familiar symbol of smoke, oil, water, darkness and light.  Through our baptism we participate intimately inside and outside the liturgy in our own life to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

By Fr Hoang Dinh