Palm Sunday Gospel Readings for Procession and Mass Call Us to Examine Ourselves

 Palm Sunday marks the first day of the Holy Week, as it commemorates the first day of the week that Jesus entered Jerusalem, while people of this holy city welcomed him with reverence, waving palm branches. This is reflected in the Gospel Reading for the procession before Mass (Mark 11:1-10). However, in the Gospel Reading for Mass (Mark 14:1-15:47), you can see how these people, who welcomed Jesus turned into the hostile mob toward Jesus, shouting repeatedly to the Roman authority to crucify him.

There was only a short span of time – 5 days from the day they welcomed him to the day they demand his death.

What was all this psychology of change on them about?

How come the minds of the residents of Jerusalem changed so quickly and drastically?

As the Holy Week is the last leg of our Lenten journey, which is to examine our own hearts and mind for cleansing.

Therefore, I invites you to scan your own heart and mind to see if you find a psychological disposition that reflects such a change of attitudes toward Jesus witnessed among the people of Jerusalem as you reflect both Gospel readings (Mark 11:1-10 and 14:1-15:47).

In doing this exercise, think of what has been going on these days – how hatred and anger can be inflamed in human minds and manifest in violent collective actions so fast with fear-causing false information.

Not only the hearts and minds of people of Jerusalem but also of the Roman authorities were put in effective mind-control scheme by the Sanhedrin leaders in order to have Jesus killed. This psychopathology is still prevalent, as if we had not learned a lesson even after 2,000 years.

Nevertheless, the victim of this human evil, Jesus, remained faithful to his mission because of his absolute confidence in the one who sent him, as reflected in the First Reading (Isaiah 50:4-7). And, the one who sent him to subject to this human evil vindicated him, as reflected in the Second Reading (Philippians 2:6-11).

What was beaten and put to shameful death was his body.  But, Jesus’ resolved spirit remained faithful to the will of the one who sent him. For this, he was glorified in his death, which was seen as a despised defeat by het faithless but to the faithful, it was a step to defeat the human evil by God’s powerful love.

Therefore, one lesson to take to our heart on Palm Sunday and throughout Holy Week is to come up with our ways to overcome evil with love, as God has shown to us through his Son. For this lesson, He made the Word incarnated, brought to us through Mary’s womb in the human flesh of Jesus.