CELEBRATING THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

PALM SUNDAY

INTRODUCTORY RITES

Gather together as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress
appropriately - switch off your phones - place lighted candles on the altar or a suitably-covered
table...).
Put a green branch in a suitable place (any branch will do; it does not need to be a palm
branch). Through this green branch, we can remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and stay
connected—despite “social distancing”—as we enter into the holiest week of the Christian
calendar.

You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:

Hosanna to the Son of David
(https://youtu.be/DpwR48Vmn9Q) or
(https://youtu.be/oJ-KEfHD7-Y) another version which you can repeat as a chant

The Sign of the Cross

Greeting and Introductory Words

Leader: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
All: Blessed be God forever.

Leader: Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, when we recall Jesus’ triumphant entry into
Jerusalem, when people acclaimed him as God’s messenger: “Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord.” A few days later, the same people shouted: “Crucify him!”
We understand this better when we reflect on our lives. We have days of happiness, of
success, of joy; we also have sad days of contradiction and failure. We have days of health;
we have days of sickness, of battling with this lockdown. Does our cry to the Lord change?

Let us unite ourselves with the Church around the world and pray that we may always be
able to shout “hosanna”! Let us walk with Jesus in a special way this week and today
remember his entry into the city of Jerusalem. By following in his footsteps and recalling
his great sacrifice, may we join our hearts to his, and share in his Cross as we prepare our
hearts and homes for the joy of his Resurrection.
We pray especially for all those affected: for those ailing and those who have died; for
healthcare professionals and caregivers; for those stranded away from home and shelter;
for civic officials…

Penitential Rite

Leader: For the times our cries to the Lord have changed depending on our situation, we
ask the Lord for his forgiveness. Pause

Leader: Lord, you come to visit your people in peace. Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: Christ, by the cross you brought pardon and hope. Christ, have mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
Leader: Lord, you have come to create a new world. Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
Opening Prayer

Leader: Almighty and ever-loving God, in your great mercy you sent your Son to become
like us, taking on human form and living among us, submitting to the Cross.
Graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering and so merit a
share in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

Readings

The readings and psalm are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary for Mass.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.

Reading 1 Isaiah 50:4-7

Psalm Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (https://youtu.be/gZ9UJJEjDbI)
Reading 2 Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel Matthew 26:14 – 27:66
(or short form) Matthew 27:11-54
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040520.cfm

Reflection on the Readings

Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.

Silence

Spend time in silence. Allow your thoughts and feelings to surface. Allow God to speak to
you through his Word and through your thoughts and feelings.

Lectio Divina

Put yourself in the stead of one of the characters of the passion narrative or journey with
Jesus through his journey from the upper room to Gethsemane to Caiaphas and Pilate to
Golgotha. Reflect on your thoughts and feelings. What does the Lord tell you?
Or pick a phrase or a sentence that strikes you (For instance: Amen, I say to you, one of
you will betray me/ My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will,
but as you will/ So you could not keep watch with me for one hour/ My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me/ Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit). Silently
repeat the phrase. Meditate on what this phrase means to you at this point in your life; or
what God is telling you through this word/phrase.

Sunday Snippets

Gene Smith’s book When the Cheering Stopped tells the tale of US President Woodrow
Wilson. After World War I, Wilson was an international hero; on his first visit to Europe after
the War, cheering crowds greeted him everywhere.
After a year, Wilson ran into opposition: his League of Nations was not ratified; at home, his
party was defeated in the elections; in Europe, political leaders were more concerned with
their own agenda. As long as he “spoke” peace, Wilson was heralded as the new messiah.
When he called for change that would lead to peace, the cheering stopped. Wilson became
a broken man and a failure.
It’s a sad but not unfamiliar story. Jesus faced something similar during his journey to
Jerusalem!
As long as Jesus fed the hungry and healed the sick, he was popular. As long as the people
saw him as a political messiah, they gave him a royal welcome.
When Jesus emphasised that he was a king of love-peace and not a military hero, when he
showed that he would rule through humble obedience, when he broke social and religious
barriers, when he became a threat to the religious authority and political standing of some
people, when he loved all people unconditionally, when he called people to change… the
cheering stopped. It turned to jeering. On the cross, Jesus became (literally) a broken man
and a human failure.

One who makes people feel good is popular. When one tries to translate ideals into reality,
when one wants to change “feel good” to “do good”, when one challenges people to amend
attitudes and action… the cheering stops.
Will I be the popular guy who makes people feel good or am I ready to be the unpopular guy
who challenges people to be good? What will I do if/when the cheering stops?

The Jesus “story” does not end on the cross; there is the empty tomb. It does not end on
Friday; it begins a new chapter on Sunday.

Questions to Ponder

Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions (share your reflections if you wish!):

Reading 1: What words of hope, promise, or challenge has God given me to speak to others?
When I do good but face opposition, am I able to affirm “the Lord God is my help”?

Psalm: How have I relied on God through trials or hardships? Have I ever felt that God has
abandoned me? How did I cope with that moment of “abandonment”?

Reading 2: Though Jesus was in the form of God, he emptied himself, took the form of a
slave, became human, humbled himself, and became obedient to the point of death. What
impact does this experience and realisation have on me?

Gospel: What are my feelings and thoughts as I listen to and reflect on the passion
narrative?

Profession of Faith

Recite either the Nicene Creed or the Apostles’ Creed

Prayer of the Faithful

Leader: As we remember the hardships that Jesus endured for us, we are filled with hope
because God is with us always, even in difficult moments of life. Let us therefore call upon
him who hears all of our needs, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader: For the Church—that all Christians may celebrate these holy days with deep faith,
we pray to the Lord…
Reader: For our world—that God may deliver us from Covid-19, keep safe all who are
vulnerable to the disease, and protect all healthcare and civic personnel, we pray to the
Lord…
Reader: For our world—that this experience may help us work for a better and more honest
society, in which no one is trampled upon and in which people are concerned about one
another, we pray to the Lord…
Reader: For those who suffer torture and humiliation, for people who are broken and
discouraged—that they may encounter Jesus who continued alone and in pain on his way
of suffering and experienced the joy of the resurrection, we pray to the Lord…
Reader: For all who have been furloughed or become unemployed—that God will quickly
end the virus, open new opportunities for them, and help them find the assistance they
need to sustain themselves and their families, we pray to the Lord…
Reader: For all who have died, especially victims of the coronavirus pandemic—that they
may live forever in the peace and joy of God’s presence, we pray to the Lord…
Reader: For all of us—that God’s love may sustain us and help us to trust in his providence
each day, we pray to the Lord…

Leader: God of compassion, in the death and resurrection of Jesus you show your love for
us. Strengthen us in our passion and suffering during this pandemic. Through Christ our
Lord.
All: Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

All: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the
Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive
your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self
be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.

Sing or listen to a hymn of God’s reassurance. For instance:

You’ll Never Walk Alone (https://youtu.be/XohTXJEUh1o)
Hold On to Love (https://youtu.be/WtrbxIW7bRo)
Abide With Me (https://youtu.be/84YASWe3_2Q)

CONCLUDING RITE

Concluding Prayer

Leader: Loving Father, your Son gave himself totally on the cross. May we learn from him
to keep our hope in you alive and to continue going our way in life, even when we do not
know the future or when we have to bear heavy crosses. We trust you, and we know that
we will rise above our miseries to a life of joy without end. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

Blessing

Leader: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
Leader: Go in the peace of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.