Category Archives: Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday Homily – 2024

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Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church, Plymouth, MA

“Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.”

This weekend, we are entering a time of holiness, a time of both remembering and reflecting on the events that lead up to the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Now, out there, in our communities, our towns and cities; Easter time has already taken hold. Bright colors, sweets, pastries and fancy meals are already popping up all over; enticing us, tempting us.

But here, in this church and in all other churches, other places of worship; the somber color of purple reigns. Especially in this moment, when we read, when we hear the Gospels that proclaim the story of the Passion of Our Lord. We are called to reflect more deeply on what Jesus went through for us, to save us finally from the grip that Original Sin had over us, and to give us new hope for the future.

We, in turn, are called to proclaim that Good News, by our words and deeds, to everyone we come in contact with.
As Holy Week begins, let us focus more deeply on what we entering into, let the Holy Spirit in and let it transform us. And on Easter morn, let us sing out with joy.

Palm Sunday ~ 2022

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St. Peter Church, Plymouth MA

We are at the beginning of Holy Week; where we bring to mind the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, his agony in the garden, his arrest by Temple authorities and the Sanhedrin, his abandonment by his disciples, his trials by the members of the Sanhedrin; by the Romans; and his crucifixion!

We begin with the procession of the palms, where a crowd of people are following Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. We do not know exactly the real size of this procession, but it appears to be large enough to concern the Sanhedrin; that it may concern the Roman occupiers and bring about a forceful, violent response. And what follows is the events of our Lord’s Passion; His suffering, His death!


But I would like to look now, at a different definition of the word “passion;” with a small “p.” Merriam-Webster dictionary has as one of the definition of “passion;” “a strong liking or desire for devotion to some activity, object, or concept.” What is our everyday passions; sports, both as player and spectator; reading books, paper or digital; collecting, etc., etc., One can definitely say that Jesus had a deep passion to fulfill the will of the Father; to proclaim the Good News to the poor and those who have lost hope in world; to heal the sick, to break the power of sin in the world. He had a passion so great, that He was willing to suffer the most humiliating death.


The question I have for us this morning, do we have a passion for the Gospel life; do we have a passion to follow Jesus? How passionate is our commitment to reach out to the poor, the stranger? How is our passion as a follower of Jesus Christ Crucified?