Palm Sunday


 HOSANNA to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD! (St. Matthew 21:9)

 Today, our Lord enters the Holy City where He will suffer and die for our sins. He is hailed as King and Messiah as palms are layed at is feet in homage. “Hosanna” translates literally to save us, now! The title Son of David hearkens to the words spoken by the Angel Gabriel to Our Lady that Jesus would take the throne of His FatherDavid as Jesus is a descendant of that Sacred lineage. Today is a day of intense and mixed emotions as we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and prepare for His Death on Good Friday. Today begins the week of Salvation, the holiest week of the year.

As a note for those who may get overwhelmed during this week of weeks it's important to remember that you aren't obligated to go to each and every prayer service during the Triduum or participate in every spiritual practice, just the liturgies themselves are the most important and in fact only Palm Sunday and Easter are obligatory (the Vigil fulfills the Easter Obligation). The Little Way of St. Therese should help us here, that is to do everything even the smallest task out of the love of God. We should also do this united to the Passion of Christ. 

The liturgical color for Palm Sunday is red. Red is the liturgical color worn by Priests and Deacons for Palm Sunday to recall the Blood of Jesus shed for our redemption. It is then a good idea to wear red on Palm Sunday as we recall our Lord’s Passion and infinite love. This is because Palm Sunday is known by its full name as “Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord”. 

 Cruelty Free Note: In this week when our Lord was treated so cruelly and all creation lamented Him, go cruelty free in your food, fashion and festivities! Christian Veganism FAQ  Fish Free Fridays

Holy Week Timeline (Note: Missing from this helpful image is the Tuesday of Holy Week is the day Mary Magdalene weeps over the feet of Jesus.)

Holy Week Indulgences 

Holy Week Customs


How to Fold a Palm Cross (It would be a wonderful display of our faith to humbly and devoutly wear the palm cross or a piece of palm pinned to our clothes. Save your palm folding for before or after Mass as to be present during the Sacred Mysteries.) 

Passion/Palm Sunday with St. Gertrude (Page 373 begins Passion Sunday which was one week before Palm Sunday previously but now is an alternate term for Palm Sunday)



Palm Sunday According to Mystics (Chapter VII is where the vision of this feast begins, some events leading up to or referred  therein to can be found in the preceding paragraphs.)

Palm Sunday According to Mystics Continued (Chapter 2 is where the vision of this feast begins, some events leading up to or refereed therein to can be found in the preceding paragraphs.)





HOLY WEEK AROUND THE WORLD 

On the Eve of Palm Sunday in Finland is the practice of what is called switching (done gently) with pussy willows for health. Those who are unmarried get their turn on Palm Sunday. On Easter children receive treats from the homes they visited during the customs of Holy Week, similar to trick or treating. These same blessed branches (used in places where palms are scarcely grown) are used to sprinkle water on animals for health and sometimes a bid is swallowed to prevent throat illness. Legend states that if there is good weather on Palm Sunday that means the harvest will be plentiful. In other cultures the weather throughout Palm Sunday is a prediction for the weather for the next 30 days. In England, there is a custom of going palming to find greens on Palm Sunday then to hang them in the home for good luck. In Germany, decorated poles are blessed to place in crop fields, to bless homes and protect from lighting. In England and Wales there’s a practice of placing greenery on graves today. Some cultures place (birch) twigs in vases to bloom for Easter.

In Colombia food is brought to jails and some prisoners are released to recall how Barrabas was released from prison in keeping with the custom of Passover.The streets are swept to remove evil and bells are rung.

In Mexico during the religious processions there are “almas encadenadas” to represent the souls in Purgatory.

Palm Sunday in Ireland

(There will be blog posts for each day of Holy Week. These days of Holy Week focus on events leading up to Jesus’ Passion but no particular customs are observed for the most part until the Triduum which begins on Holy Thursday.)

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