Homily for Palm Sunday, 2025
Palm Sunday marks our entry into Holy Week …. A time set aside to explore the mystery of God revealed in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the most profound of times in our church, and a powerful opportunity to nourish our spirit.
Yet, all too often, we treat Holy Week like the drive through at Tim Hortons. On Good Friday, we arrive in a hurry because we are running late, complain about how long the parking line is, and that there aren’t any pews left. We then disappear until we make a quick visit on Easter Sunday, leaving that event as quickly as we can to avoid the traffic on the way out, and get to our family get together and meal. And an Easter Egg hunt. And Chocolate bunnies.
There was a time when the world wasn’t in such a hurry. In fact, there were centuries and centuries when the world wasn’t in such a hurry. Centuries and centuries when the faithful would enter into the beauty of the liturgies of this week. Yet, as we rush through Holy Week, we miss entering into the profound mystery of God becoming Human, and we miss the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to touch our soul.
Holy Thursday, with the institution of the Eucharist – so central to our identity as Catholics.
Good Friday, when we are reminded that God loves us even unto death. And when we pray for the entire world. And in the solemnity of the liturgy, and the reading of the Passion, sense the absence the disciples must have felt.
And then – the Easter Vigil ….. the most profound and powerful liturgy we have in our church. I am constantly surprised at how many of you have never experienced the richness and beauty of the Easter Vigil.
The church in darkness. One lone candle lit – the Easter Candle – from a blessed fire.
And into the darkness that one candle moves slowly, and the deacon intones ‘Light of Christ”. And from that one candle, small candles held by each person are lit. Three times the light pauses so that everyone’s candles can be lit from that one flame…. And as it reaches the front, what was once a church – a world – in darkness, is now lit by the flames of faith that each of us carry. And then begins the most profound poetry, the hymn to that light, that Easter Candle – and the Exsultet is sung.
Wow. Just wow. And that was just the beginning !
We hear the story of salvation in readings and psalms from the Hebrew Scriptures. We pray for our world and for our brothers and sisters! We participate in the baptisms and professions of faith of our newest members, joining our community ! We celebrate the Eucharist together and we rejoice in the resurrection ! There is no more powerful, inspiring liturgy in our church than this. It is the perfect closing of the Easter Triduum, the penultimate celebration of the resurrection.
This Holy Week, give yourself permission to slow down.
Give yourself permission to reflect each day, using your favorite prayers, on how much God holds you tenderly in God’s arms.
Give yourself permission to enter into the liturgies of Holy Week completely, deeply, with open heart and soul.
And give yourself permission to be here at the Easter Vigil Celebration, to experience the fullness of the history of our salvation and the profound joy of the resurrection.