THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Palm Sunday

13 April 2025

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we celebrate Jesus Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We spiritually sing with those who were in Jerusalem as Jesus entered. "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord. O King of Israel: Hosanna in the highest!" (Antiphon, Saint Matthew 21,9)

But this joy is short-lived. After the joy of the blessing of palms, the procession, and the joy of welcoming Jesus Christ as Our King, we read Jesus' Passion in the Gospel of the Mass (Saint Matthew 26, 36-75 27,1-60).

Our sentiments go from one extreme to the other. As we contemplate the fickleness of humanity, we are intrigued by the mercy of God. There is no glory without sacrifice. The greatest glory demands the greatest sacrifice. We have grasped a foretaste of God's due honor and glory as we welcomed Jesus to be Our King. But our enthusiasm soon devolves into materialism or worldliness. With God as Our King, we will never suffer again. All our illnesses will be healed; all our pains will cease; we will have food aplenty for our bodies. We will have Heaven here on earth.

This material or worldly enthusiasm is soon dampened as we see Jesus imprisoned, abused, mocked, tortured, and suffering. Rather than find fault with ourselves, we seek to place the blame on Jesus. Our joy is turned into shame; we become disappointed with Jesus and feel that He has left us down. Our weakness now incites us to cry out with the worldly mob: "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

By our sins, through our weakness, we welcome a worldly Savior and King but reject a Divine Savior and King. The change has not occurred in Jesus Christ; the change has taken place within the corrupted hearts of humanity.

We read of this folly of humanity, reenact these events in the Liturgy, and yet learn little or nothing from them. The folly of the people in Jerusalem should be for our instruction so that we will do better than they have. The tragedy is that we seem to have learned nothing. By our sins and our worldly attitudes, we are just as fickle as they were. Perhaps we may even say that we are more fickle or guilty than they were because we are given the perspective of History to learn from.

We know the Resurrection is coming, but we still wince in fear of every tiny pain or suffering. We shy away from self-denial and self-sacrifice. We greatly desire to rise gloriously with Jesus on Easter Morning, but we dread and often turn away from following Him to Calvary. Our lives prove our unwillingness to be His disciples. He made it very clear that if we are to be His disciples, we must daily deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

We are to set aside the immature dream of creating a worldly or materialistic Heaven here on earth. Our true happiness will not be found in the pleasures of this world but rather in the willing and loving sacrifice of these fleeting pleasures.

Today is a critical day in our lives. It is time for us to spiritually mature. We need to put away worldly childishness and put on spiritual maturity. We must be determined to follow Jesus and do what is right and true — no matter what it may cost us. The loss of pleasures, the loss of wealth, the loss of friends, and the loss of family are all nothing and are even to be welcomed if this is the price we must pay to follow Jesus to Calvary. Jesus willingly and lovingly carried His Cross to Calvary for us. He is asking us to do the same for Him. How much do we love Him? Are we ready to lose everything in the world or to suffer every pain and sorrow in this world for the love of Him?

When we truly love Jesus, we will fear sin more than pain, suffering, or the world's displeasure. We will not shy away from the cross and self-denial but eagerly and lovingly embrace it in the same Spirit that Jesus embraced and carried His.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!