A feast day... in the colours of the Passion

Palm Sunday is a unique feast in the liturgical year. It holds together two contrasting emotions: the joy of a people acclaiming Jesus as king, and the beginning of his ascent to the cross. This day marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most intense days of the Christian faith. This is no mere evocation of the past. Palm Sunday is a call, here and now, to follow Christ with all that this implies: praise, but also total self-giving.

At Mass, the liturgy begins with a procession of branches, recalling the triumphal welcome Jesus receives in Jerusalem. But very quickly, the atmosphere changes. The Passion narrative is read. We enter into the mystery of Christ's rejection, suffering and solitude. This tension between glory and humiliation is at the heart of the Christian message. And it is also, often, what we experience in our own lives.

Jesus enters Jerusalem: the humble king

The Gospel tells of Jesus entering Jerusalem seated on a small donkey, acclaimed by a crowd waving branches and shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" This gesture fulfils an ancient prophecy, that of Zechariah: "Behold, your king comes to you, humble, riding on a donkey."

There is a profound beauty in this scene, but also a certain ambiguity. The crowd is acclaiming a king... but it doesn't really understand which king it is. They are expecting a glorious, political, liberating messiah. Jesus comes to offer his life. He doesn't take power, he gives himself. He does not ride a horse of war, but an animal of peace. He does not brandish a sword, but stretches out his hands.

This entry into Jerusalem is also God's entry into our history, into our cities, into our lives. Not to dominate, but to love. Not to impose himself, but to meet us where we are.

The branches: a gesture that commits us

The branches that are blessed on this day are not mere decorations. They are a sign of faith, a commitment. By holding them in our hands, we say that we welcome Jesus as Lord. But are we ready to follow him to the end? To the cross? Even to the gift of ourselves?

Many people leave these branches in their homes, hanging on a crucifix or tucked behind a picture. They become a living reminder. A silent reminder that we once said "yes" to Christ. A reminder that fidelity is not a one-off impulse, but a journey to be continued every day.

The Passion story: light in the night

On this same day, the Gospel plunges us into the story of the Passion. Jesus is betrayed, arrested, tried, condemned, beaten and crucified. The contrast is stark. He who was acclaimed is now rejected. He who was surrounded is now alone.

But in this Passion, there is not only suffering. There is also immense love, forgiveness given to his executioners, absolute trust to the very end. Jesus did not undergo the Passion. He goes through it freely, out of love. And this offering of himself becomes the source of our salvation.

Palm Sunday places us before this mystery: a God who loves to the extreme, a God who does not shrink from the cross in order to reach us in our wounds.

Entering Holy Week with him

Palm Sunday is not an end in itself. It is a door. An invitation. An entry into Holy Week, that great journey that takes us from the Passion to the Resurrection. We are called not to remain spectators, but to follow Jesus.

Following Jesus this week is not just about attending services. It means accompanying him inwardly. It means offering him our own crosses. It means watching him love, keep silent, pray and forgive. It's telling him that we too want to walk with him, even if our faith is sometimes weak, even if our steps are hesitant.

Conclusion

Palm Sunday is a profound feast. It opens a unique week, in which God reveals himself in self-denial, in humility, in love to the end. By holding up our branches, we do more than remember. We are choosing, once again, to open our hearts to Christ. And even if we know that he is going to the cross, we also know that at the end of the road, life will triumph. The light will not be extinguished. The Resurrection is already in the making on this day when everything begins.