9 things you need to know about Palm (Passion) Sunday

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-palm-passion-sunday/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegister%2FJimmyAkin+Jimmy+Akin What is this day called? The day is called both "Palm Sunday" and "Passion Sunday. Holy Week begins on "Passion (or Palm) Sunday" which joins the foretelling of Christ's regal triumph and the proclamation of the passion. One of the notable features of this day is a procession before Mass. Why do we do this and how is it supposed to work? The commemoration of the entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem has, according to ancient custom, been celebrated with a solemn procession, in which the faithful in song and gesture imitate the Hebrew children who went to meet the Lord singing "Hosanna." Are we only supposed to use palms? What if you don't have palms where you live? The procession, commemorating Christ's messianic entry into Jerusalem, is joyous and popular in character. The faithful usually keep palm or olive branches, or other greenery which have been blessed on Palm Sunday in their homes or in their work places. Should any instruction be given to the faithful? They should be opportunely reminded that the important thing is participation at the procession and not only the obtaining of palm or olive branches. Palms or olive branches should not be kept as amulets, or for therapeutic or magical reasons to dispel evil spirits Palms and olive branches are kept in the home as a witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory. What was Jesus doing at the Triumphal Entry? The use of an animal on which no one had yet sat is a further pointer to the right of kings. Jesus is indeed making a royal claim. He wants his path and his action to be understood in terms of Old Testament promises that are fulfilled in his person. His power is of another kind: it is in God’s poverty, God’s peace, that he identifies the only power that can redeem What does the reaction of the crowd show? The spreading out of garments likewise belongs to the tradition of Israelite kingship (cf. 2 Kings 9:13). What the disciples do is a gesture of enthronement in the tradition of the Davidic kingship, and it points to the Messianic hope that grew out of the Davidic tradition. They pluck branches from the trees and cry out verses from Psalm 118 What does the word "Hosanna" mean? Feast of Tabernacles gradually changed from a feast of petition into one of praise, so too the cry for help turned more and more into a shout of jubilation. joyful praise of God at the moment of the processional entry, hope that the hour of the Messiah had arrived, and at the same time a prayer that the Davidic kingship and hence God’s kingship over Israel would be reestablished. Is the same crowd that cheered Jesus' arrival the one that demanded his crucifixion just a few days later? the scene of Messianic homage to Jesus was played out on his entry into the city and that those taking part were not the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but the crowds who accompanied Jesus and entered the Holy City with him. “When he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying: Who is this? And the crowds said: This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee” People had heard of the prophet from Nazareth, but he did not appear to have any importance for Jerusalem, and the people there did not know him. This brings us to the Passion Narrative recorded in the Gospel. How is this to be read at Mass? The proclamation of the passion should be without candles and incense, the greeting and the signs of the cross are omitted For the spiritual good of the faithful the passion should be proclaimed in its entirety, and the readings which precede it should not be omitted.