Fr Antonio Pineda
n the first Palm Sunday over 2000 years ago, Jesus knew he was entering into a sacred time as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Everything he had said and done for three years was leading to the cross. But he also knew that many in Jerusalem that day would fail to recognise his arrival which kicked off Holy Week as their sacred time, as the hour of their salvation.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. It’s the beginning of our own sacred time: that’s why the week is called holy. For the next seven days, Jesus will appear before us as the suffering Servant of the Lord. Each day we will hear another story that reveals the depth of his love for us. Each day we will see another facet of what it means that he is the Lamb of God who has come to take away our sins.
We’ve all heard all these stories many times before. So often, in fact, that they may have begun to lose their meaning. How will you hear them this Holy Week? As snippets of ancient history? As echoes of religious education classes at school? Or as life-giving testimonies of a God who loved you—who loves you—enough to sacrifice his life for you?
All week long, we have a golden opportunity to ponder the deepest truths of our faith. And not just to ponder them, but to let the Spirit bring them to life for us. We have the opportunity not just to recall that Jesus died for our sins but to know that every sin we have ever committed can be wiped away. We have the opportunity not just to remember that God raised Jesus from the dead but to know we you are destined for eternal life with him.
The hour has come. Jesus is about to offer himself for us. Don’t miss out on the grace of this sacred time. Try to dedicate a few extra minutes for prayer each day. Or spend a little more time with the word of God. Or just gaze at the cross a little longer. Ponder on what makes this week holy. Let the events of Good Friday in particular fill your heart and heal your soul.