Weekly Reflections for April 10, 2022

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday – one of the biggest celebrations in our church calendar. The images that come along with this day are unmistakable. The bold red vestments, the palm in each of our hands being folded or shaped so that we may hold them close all year. Old and young flock to receive their palms and attend the mass.

However, as a kid, I always met this day with wariness. I’d receive all these messages that Palm Sunday was a happy day – a day of celebration. But I couldn’t seem to shake

the thought of what was to come. As the beginning of Holy Week, Palm Sunday was the herald of Jesus’ last week before his death. It always felt a little bit wrong to celebrate

knowing what would be coming next.

Most of us are familiar with the phrase “hindsight is 20/20.” And in nearly all of the situations in our life, it is. Being able to look back at a situation in our past with the

wisdom we have gained gives us the clarity to see things as they really were.

With Palm Sunday, we have the ability to see this story with 20/20 vision. We know what is coming. We know how Jesus will be betrayed, tortured, abandoned, and crucified. But on this rare occasion, I think having the full view of the story may hinder having a clear view of the day.

For the people who lived this story, they had no idea what was coming next and because of it they could fully experience the joy of welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem.

There was no fear or worry. Simply love for this incredible person and excitement to be in His presence. How wonderful would it be to bring a bit of that enthusiasm to the time

we spend with our Lord today? To be fully present in the joy of being with our God?

So celebrate today! It is a very good one. After all, it foreshadows where we will be a week from now. It reminds us of the greatest thing yet to come – the resurrection of

Jesus Christ.

Happy Palm Sunday! –  Erin Perkins