Palm Sunday

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29^th March 2026 At the Procession with palms

When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.” This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
Say to daughter Zion,“Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” ____________________________________________________________

Homily

Today, my dear sisters and brothers, we gather to remember and to celebrate Palm Sunday. We have come to Mass not simply to bless palms which we will keep in our homes over the coming year for a variety of reasons, many of them superstitious. We have gathered to remember and to celebrate a man who lived his life in humility despite his greatness and who became greater yet because of his humility.

While the Roman overlords rode arrogantly into Jerusalem on horses, normally stallions, Jesus chose the lowly donkey, a she-donkey at that, for his triumphal entry into the city, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, “Say to the daughter of Zion, Look, your King comes to you, He is humble, He rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden”. This display of humility was not feigned. This is the habit which is supposed to characterize leaders. The prophecy of Zechariah tells us “Look your King comes to you humble”. This was the habit, which Jesus lived from his birth in a stable, throughout his public ministry and into his betrayal, passion and death. St. Paul describes Jesus’ habit of humility in this way. “His state was divine, yet Christ Jesus did not cling to his quality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are, and being as men are he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.” In the Gospel narrative which we just heard, Peter cuts off the ear of the servant of the High Priest and Jesus rebukes Peter, pointing out to him that if he wanted, he could ask his Father for legions of angels to defend him, but that was not the way of humility. It was not Jesus’ way. St. Paul reminds us however that Jesus’ way of humility leads to greatness when he reminds the Philippians that, “God raised him high and gave Him the name which is above all other names, so that at the name of Jesus all beings in the heavens, on the earth and in the underworld should bend the knee and every tongue proclaim that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

This then is the man we remember and celebrate today. We do this remembering the context of Eucharist, which Jesus began by doing the work of a servant, washing the feet of his disciples, even the feet of the one to betray him, and at the end of the meal telling his disciples, “Do this in my memory”. Called to keep the memory of Christ alive, we too, like Christ must build the habit of humility in our lives. In a society and age in which, ostentatiousness in housing and possessions and the arrogance of leaders, be these religious, business, civil, or political seems to be par for the course, those of us who call ourselves disciples of Jesus must make the downward mobility of Jesus the pattern of our lives. As we strive to live the downward mobility of Jesus many will say to us that we are being stupid. Our response must always be the response of Jesús. The Master has need of my simplicity. This does not mean that we do not strive to be the best that we can be but that after all our striving we put our resources, gifts and talents at the service of God’s Kingdom, doing the best that we can to ensure that those with whom we interact come to their highest fulfillment. What a task for us the Missionaries off the Poor. This will mean for us acceptance, not only of the sacrifices which downward mobility entails but also the arrogance and ridicule of others. This was the way of Jesus, and this has always been the way of the saints. When Jesus entered Jerusalem with all the crowds acknowledging him, people when asked who he was replied “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” Prophets get killed however, but out of their sacrifice something new is always born and we are better for it. So, Jesus suffered, and we have Christianity which has done so much for the world, in terms both human and divine. St. Francis divested himself of all the wealth which he received from his father to embrace as he called it, “Lady Poverty”. Mother Teresa gave up all the comforts and security of her convent to go and live with those living and dying on the streets of Calcutta, truly becoming their servant and you and I know many persons who have truly embraced humility for the sake of others. You and I know of parents who have done menial work to educate their children. These examples tell us that as difficult as it may seem, it is possible with God’s grace to live the downward mobility, which is the pattern of the incarnation, the pattern which Jesus our model chose to embrace. The embracing of humility as a habit of Christian living can only lead us to that for which we have been made, partnership with Christ in the work of salvation and the happiness which that partnership brings even here on earth. Where would the world be without the Church’s dedication to education and health care? How many people in the Caribbean know that the Credit union movement in Trinidad was started by R.C. priests? How many would have died in their sins were it not for Jesus? Where would India be without the sacrifice of Gandhi, or the United States without Martin Luther King, or El Salvador without Mons. Romero, or South Africa without Mandela. The world itself would be a poorer place if these great men had not lived. How many throughout the world would not have died in peace and surrounded by love were it not for Mother Teresa and her sisters. Today as we celebrate the entry of Jesus, the great man into Jerusalem, let us also sing Hosannas for the truly great persons who come along once in a lifetime to walk our Earth. Just as Jesus’ walk inspired many of his time to follow in his footsteps, let us also let those who have walk this earth closer to our times inspire us to follow in their footsteps. In following them we will in fact be following Jesus and the world will be a better place. As we begin the celebration of this, the most important feast of our Christian calendar, let us meditate on the humility of Jesus our master and model and what this demands of us in our daily lives. Let us be known for the kind word, for the ability to ask for forgiveness if others feel that we have wronged them, for the ability to excuse others who may have wronged us, for our capacity to help in the menial tasks. If every person who considers him/herself a disciple of Jesus so lives, then we will attain the kinder, gentler society which we all desire. May God bless our efforts. Amen

Prayer

All powerful and ever-loving God, all through the passion and the cross your Son revealed himself as the suffering servant. Be with us your disciples as we celebrate the Triduum of Holy week. As we meditate on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus help us to remember that You were there also with the Spirit sustaining your Son and transforming the suffering pain and death into New Life. As we live our own Crosses, help us to accept them with humility, imitating the downward mobility of your Son so that our Crosses may be transformed into New Life. We ask this through the intercession of Mary who stood faithfully at the foot of the cross and Jesus your Son. Amen