Homily for Passion (Palm) Sunday

This Sunday is obviously a rare exception to the usual Sunday Mass routine, as we have heard from two Gospel passages: one before the procession with palm branches, and the second with the proclamation of the Passion of Our Lord. Between the two, we can see a great contrast between the Earthly honor which was given to Jesus as He processed into Jerusalem, and the Heavenly honor given by God when Our Lord hung on the Cross.

When looking at these two Gospels, people who are steeped in the mindset of the world would say Our Lord came into Jerusalem heralded as a king and died as a humiliated and despised criminal. He was raised high by the shouts of the people, and he was shamed by the shouts of the people. He traded the power and prestige of earthly rule for the rough wood of a Cross.

To Our Heavenly Father, the earthly honor that Jesus received upon entering Jerusalem is nothing compared to the Heavenly honor He received upon His death on the Cross. Instead of being seated upon an earthly throne made of wood, stone, and precious materials, Our Lord was seated on the Heavenly throne more precious than any material on Earth. Instead of relishing the earthly honor, as St. Paul points out, Our Lord “humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a Cross.” Our salvation, and the salvation of Israel did not come through earthly power, but through His humiliating act on the Cross.

Not only did Our Lord humble Himself by taking on the Cross, but His very presence on Earth was the greatest act of humility. St. Paul reminds us that Jesus “was in the form of God”. As the Second Person of the Trinity, Our Lord is far greater than anything in all creation, yet He humbled Himself to become part of creation.

The humility of Our Lord shows us that humility here on Earth will lead us to our Heavenly reward. As a result of Jesus’ humility on Earth, St. Paul says that “God greatly exalted [Jesus], and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.” While we will not be exalted as highly as Our Lord, for we are mere creatures, we as Christians are called to follow His example of servant leadership. We are not called to lead others for our honor, as politicians seem to do, but for the honor of God and for the good of those we serve.

Going forward, whenever we look upon the palms we’ve received today, may we be challenged to humble ourselves, as Jesus did, and humbly serve those around us for God’s glory and their good.