What is Palm Sunday and why is it so meaningful?

The Final Sunday of Lent

Palm Sunday is the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. This is the Final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of the Holy Week and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.

During this time, the people go to mass to receive palm fronds to participate in the reenactment of Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem.

In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey and to lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him, as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice of people of great respect.

The use of a donkey instead of a horse is highly symbolic, it represents the humble arrival of someone in peace, as opposed to arriving on a steed in war. Palm branches are widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, like the one we will have over COVID19 (coronavirus).

Because the palms are blessed, they may not be discarded as trash. Instead, they are appropriately gathered at the church and incinerated to create the ashes that will be used in the follow year’s Ash Wednesday observance. The colors of the Mass on Palm Sunday are red and white, symbolizing the redemption in blood that Christ paid for the world.