PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION C
HOLY WEEK, HOPE-FILLED WEEK
Lk 9; 28-40/ Lk 22:14-23:56
MESSAGE
Why do we wave palms at the start of Holy Week? For the same reason the Jews did when the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem—they were filled with joy and excitement, believing that their long-awaited Messiah had arrived. They sang, shouted, and wept with joy because His presence brought hope of salvation and true life. Today, we carry palms to proclaim our faith in “Christ Jesus, our hope” (1 Tim 1:1).
We begin this week with palms, but we journey through it with another powerful symbol—the Cross. Non-Christians may not understand the Cross, and some even reject it. Some Christians love the Cross but struggle with the image of Christ upon it. But Catholics embrace both—the Cross and the Crucifix—not just the bare wood, but the God-Man who was crucified upon it. This is why we venerate it, displaying it everywhere, for in the Crucifix, we see “our blessed hope… our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Hope is essential to our lives. We believe in God’s power, wisdom, and love—but belief alone is not enough. We need a living hope, a hope that what we believe is true, that what God has done in the past, He will do again today. We need a hope that burns within us, reminding us that God loves us now as much as He loved His people then. We must trust in the power of Jesus’ Cross to save—again and again, in our time and in the future.
Looking upon Jesus on the Cross, Mary’s hope remained unshaken. Near Him, the crucified thief dared to hope in Paradise. Listening to Him, the centurion discovered hope in God’s gift of His Son.
REFLECT
As you wave your palms, ask the Lord to fill you with hope for the future. And as you stand before the Cross, let Him supply the hope you need—to renew your faith in Him, in yourself, and in the beautiful world He has created.
“Lord, you are my hope! May I never despair.”
