PASSION SUNDAY (PALM SUNDAY)
Today, after the blessings of and distributing of the palms, and after the reading of the Palm Sunday Gospel (Matt 21:1-9) and then the Procession around the church, the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew (26:1-54) is chanted by three deacons; one is the narrator; one the words of our Blessed Saviour; the third the words of the Jewish people.
The shouting enthusiasts at the gates of Jerusalem thought Our Lord's victory and reign would be nationalistic, political, and within the immediate future. They hailed Christ for the wrong reasons, and then let Him be crucified.
We worship Christ as the King who went to His death voluntarily, with a royal freedom, because it was the Father's Will. Yes, His human nature shrank from the violence He saw He was to suffer, but Jesus freely submitted to it: "My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done." (Matt 26:37)
Having surrendered Himself to the mob to be arrested and then a mock trial, Jesus dies for us on Calvary, His Precious Blood and water from His Sacred Heart, pierced by a sword, seals the New Covenant and washes away the sins of a repentant world, and forming a new people of God out of every nation, the Mystical Body of Christ.
PRAYER
Almighty and Eternal God, it was Your Will that our Saviour should become man and suffer upon the Cross as a model of humility for all mankind. Grant that we may follow the example of His patience and share in His resurrection. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
God saves me, Jesus enlightens me, the Holy Spirit is my life, thus I fear nothing.
Deacon John
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