April 13: Palm Sunday

There is a detail in the Passion account of St. Luke’s Gospel that slides by easily. There are no palms! What was it, instead that the people spread on the ground in front of Jesus? Their cloaks, their single most important and valuable piece of clothing. A cloak was the most expensive article of clothing anyone had in those days. Constantly mended, it was never discarded. For the poorest of the poor, it was also their shelter. For the wealthiest, it was their “badge of success.”

There is something else unique about St. Luke’s Gospel, not found in either St. Matthew’s or St. Mark’s. The crowd is not shouting “Hosanna.” They are shouting: “Peace in heaven and glory in highest.” It is an echo (or a repeat) of the message the angels brought at the birth of Jesus. So, what began with a message of peace and glory in Bethlehem, ends with the message taken up by the people of Jerusalem.

What we celebrate today is that what began with the ashes of palms five weeks ago ends with palms. And what begins with a triumphant procession into Jerusalem (or into Holy Week) ends with another procession – with Jesus bearing His Cross. Let's be sure to accompany Him this week on the whole journey.

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Although the Passion account in the Gospel of St. Luke is long, read it again sometime today or early this week. There is much there to wonder about, and even more there to be grateful for. (Luke 22,14 - 23,56)