On Palm Sunday we commemorate the solemn entry of Jesus to the city of Jerusalem and the beginning of his passion. The period of the passion of Jesus is a holy period. Therefore, we call it holy week. Because we believe that the passion, the death and the resurrection of Jesus have brought us salvation. We experience peace and love of God in a special way through the suffering and the death of Jesus . Not only today, but also during the time of Jesus people experienced salvation and hope in the person of Jesus. It was in the revelation of salvation through the words and deeds of Jesus. It was not an unimaginable reality, but the happiness, love, peace, harmony and an inner experience. Therefore, people said in a laud voice as Jesus entered Jerusalem solemnly:  “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Lk.19:38). A parallel to this call we find at the time of the birth of Jesus in the song of the angels which says:  “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Lk.2:14). In both times the God’s glory is praised and the peace and the grace of God on earth is acknowledged.
What the angels experienced at the birth of Jesus, people had experience during the solemn entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. People can experience it even today. There is only one difference in the experience of the angels and of the people. The experience of the people could be easily influenced by the external happenings and could be easily manipulated and transformed.
The same people who cheered  on Jesus have cried out in three days: “crucify him”. They said that they had only one king who ist he Roman Emperor. The tragedy is that the people were hoping and even fighting to get free from the Roman occupation and from the Roman Emperor under which they were suffering for many decades.  Many had even the hope in Jesus who could be their liberator from the Romans.
The angels who sung the greetings of peace and grace knew forever that the grace, peace and freedom comes from Jesus who is newly born to the world as the living presence of God on earth. But then people who sung the greetings of peace and grace during the solemn entry of Jesus to Jerusalem had the feeling of grace and freedom in Jesus, but was easily influenced and manipulated and had no authenticity and stability because their experience and their faith was like the seed fell on the rock.
When we celebrate the Palm Sunday and sing hosana to the Lord we are not supposed sing it as the people of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus who said in three days time: Crucify him. But we are invited to sing it as the angels sung it at the birth of Jesus before the Shepherds on the field which remained to be truth and realitiy even today as witness and as expression of Joy.
The celebration of the Holy week invites us to the experience of truth, love and freedom of God. The passion of Jesus is also an image of the passion of  the the people today in different forms of suffering: For example: the sick, the needy, the lonley, the disappointed, the mourning, those who suffering under different social, mental and physical problems. Let us try to experience the Holy Week holy. Let us try to understand the meaning of the suffering and the passion of our fellow human beings and to bear our own suffering and tragedy without bitterness and to see it in the light of the tragic suffering of Jesus. Our own  worries, crosses, sufferings and our own way of the cross bring offer with the passion of Christ and hope of relief. God of mercy and love will be up on us when we are ready to afford our contribution for relief.
I invite you cordially to take part in services of the Holy Week and Easter Sunday
Fr. Joseph Pandiappallil MCBS