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by Abbot Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.
EARLY in the morning of this day, Jesus sets out for Jerusalem, leaving Mary His
Mother, and the two sisters Martha and Mary Magdalene, and Lazarus, at Bethany.
The Mother of sorrows trembles at seeing her Son thus expose Himself to danger,
for His enemies are bent upon His destruction; but it is not death, it is
triumph, that Jesus is to receive today in Jerusalem. The Messiah, before being
nailed to the cross, is to be proclaimed King by the people of the great city;
the little children are to make her streets echo with their Hosanna to the Son
of David; and this in presence of the soldiers of Rome's emperor, and of the
high priests and Pharisees: the first standing under the banner of their eagles;
the second, dumb with rage.
The prophet Zachary had foretold this triumph which the Son of Man was to
receive a few days before His Passion, and which had been prepared for Him from
all eternity. ' Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout for joy, O daughter
of Jerusalem! Behold thy King will come to thee; the Just and the Saviour. He is
poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.' [Zach. ix.
9.] Jesus, knowing that the hour has come for the fulfillment of this prophecy,
singles out two from the rest of His disciples, and bids them lead to Him an ass
and her colt, which they would find not far off. He has reached Bethphage, on
Mount Olivet. The two disciples lose no time in executing the order given them
by their divine Master; and the ass and the colt are soon brought to the place
where He stands.
The holy fathers have explained to us the mystery of these two animals. The ass
represents the Jewish people, which had been long under the yoke of the Law; the
colt, upon which, as the evangelist says, no man yet hath sat, [St. Mark xi. 2.]
is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had ever yet brought into
subjection. The future of these two peoples is to be decided a few days hence:
the Jews will be rejected, for having refused to acknowledge Jesus as the
Messiah; the Gentiles will take their place, to be adopted as God's people, and
become docile and faithful.
The disciples spread their garments upon the colt; and our Saviour, that the
prophetic figure might be fulfilled, sits upon him, [Ibid. 7, and St. Luke xix.
35.] and advances towards Jerusalem. As soon as it is known that Jesus is near
the city, the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those Jews, who have come from
all parts to celebrate the feast of the Passover. They go out to meet our Lord,
holding palm branches in their hands, and loudly proclaiming Him to be King.
[St. Luke xix. 38.] They that have accompanied Jesus from Bethania, join the
enthusiastic crowd. Whilst some spread their garments on the way, others cut
down boughs from the palm-trees, and strew them along the road. Hosanna is the
triumphant cry, proclaiming to the whole city that Jesus, the Son of David, has
made His entrance as her King.
Thus did God, in His power over men's hearts, procure a triumph for His Son, and
in the very city which, a few days later, was to clamor for His Blood. This day
was one of glory to our Jesus, and the Holy Church would have us renew, each
year, the memory of this triumph of the Man-God. Shortly after the birth of our
Emmanuel, we saw the Magi coming from the extreme east, and looking in Jerusalem
for the King of the Jews, to whom they intended offering their gifts and their
adorations: but it is Jerusalem herself that now goes forth to meet this King.
Each of these events is an acknowledgment of the kingship of Jesus; the first,
from the Gentiles; the second, from the Jews. Both were to pay Him this regal
homage, before He suffered His Passion.
The inscription to be put upon the
cross, by Pilate's order, will express the kingly character of the Crucified:
Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Pilate, the Roman governor, the pagan, the
base coward, has been unwittingly the fulfiller of a prophecy; and when the
enemies of Jesus insist on the inscription being altered, Pilate will not deign
to give them any answer but this: ' What I have written, I have written.' Today,
it is the Jews themselves that proclaim Jesus to be their King: they will soon
be dispersed, in punishment for their revolt against the Son of David; but Jesus
is King, and will be so for ever.
Thus were literally verified the words spoken
by the Archangel to Mary, when he announced to her the glories of the Child that
was to be born of her: ' The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David,
His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.' [St. Luke i.
32.] Jesus begins His reign upon the earth this very day; and though the first
Israel is soon to disclaim His rule, a new Israel, formed from the faithful few
of the old, shall rise up in every nation of the earth, and become the kingdom
of Christ, a kingdom such as no mere earthly monarch ever coveted in his wildest
fancies of ambition.
This is the glorious mystery which ushers in the great week, the week of dolours.
Holy Church would have us give this momentary consolation to our heart, and hail
our Jesus as our King. She has so arranged the service of today, that it should
express both joy and sorrow; joy, by uniting herself with the loyal hosannas of
the city of David; and sorrow, by compassionating the Passion of her divine
Spouse. The whole function is divided into three parts, which we will now
proceed to explain.
The first is the blessing of the palms; and we may have an idea of its
importance from the solemnity used by the Church in this sacred rite. One would
suppose that the holy Sacrifice has begun, and is going to be offered up in
honour of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gradual,
Gospel, even a Preface, are said, as though we were, as usual, preparing for the
immolation of the spotless Lamb; but, after the triple Sanctus! Sanctus!
Sanctus! the Church suspends these sacrificial formulas, and turns to the
blessing of the palms. The prayers she uses for this blessing are eloquent and
full of instruction; and, together with the sprinkling with holy water and the
incensation, impart a virtue to these branches, which elevates them to the
supernatural order, and makes them means for the sanctification of our souls and
the protection of our persons and dwellings. The faithful should hold these
palms in their hands during the procession, and during the reading of the
Passion at Mass, and keep them in their homes as an outward expression of their
faith, and as a pledge of God's watchful love.
It is scarcely necessary to tell our reader that the palms or olive branches,
thus blessed, are carried in memory of those wherewith the people of Jerusalem
strewed the road, as our Saviour made His triumphant entry; but a word on the
antiquity of our ceremony will not be superfluous. It began very early in the
east. It is probable that, as far as Jerusalem itself is concerned, the custom
was established immediately after the ages of persecution. St. Cyril, who was
bishop of that city in the fourth century, tells us that the palm-tree, from
which the people cut the branches when they went out to meet our Saviour, was
still to be seen in the vale of Cedron. [Cateches. x. versus fin.] Such a
circumstance would naturally suggest an annual commemoration of the great event.
In the following century, we find this ceremony established, not only in the
churches of the east, but also in the monasteries of Egypt and Syria. At the
beginning of Lent, many of the holy monks obtained permission from their abbots
to retire into the desert, that they might spend the sacred season in strict
seclusion; but they were obliged to return to their monasteries for Palm Sunday,
as we learn from the life of Saint Euthymius, written by his disciple Cyril.
[Act. SS. Jan. 20.]
In the west, the introduction of this ceremony was more
gradual; the first trace we find of it is in the sacramentary of St. Gregory,
that is, at the end of the sixth, or the beginning of the seventh, century. When
the faith had penetrated into the north, it was not possible to have palms or
olive branches; they were supplied by branches from other trees. The beautiful
prayers used in the blessing, and based on the mysteries expressed by the palm
and olive trees, are still employed in the blessing of our willow, box, or other
branches; and rightly, for these represent the symbolical ones which nature has
denied us.
The second of today's ceremonies is the procession, which comes immediately
after the blessing of the palms. It represents our Savior's journey to
Jerusalem, and His entry into the city. To make it the more expressive, the
branches that have just been blessed are held in the hand during it. With the
Jews, to hold a branch in one's hand was a sign of joy. The divine law had
sanctioned this practice, as we read in the following passage from Leviticus,
where God commands His people to keep the feast of tabernacles: And you shall
take to you, on the first day, the fruits of the fairest tree, and branches of
palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall
rejoice before the Lord your God. [Lev. xxiii. 40.] It was, therefore, to
testify their delight at seeing Jesus enter within their walls, that the
inhabitants, even the little children, of Jerusalem, went forth to meet Him with
palms in their hands. Let us, also, go before our King, singing our hosannas to
Him as the conqueror of death, and the liberator of His people.
During the middle ages, it was the custom, in many churches, to carry the book
of the holy Gospels in this procession. The Gospel contains the words of Jesus
Christ, and was considered to represent Him. The procession halted at an
appointed place, or station: the deacon then opened the sacred volume, and sang
from it the passage which describes our Lord's entry into Jerusalem. This done,
the cross which, up to this moment, was veiled, was uncovered; each of the
clergy advanced towards it, venerated it, and placed at its foot a small portion
of the palm he held in his hand. The procession then returned, preceded by the
cross, which was left unveiled until all had re-entered the church. In England
and Normandy, as far back as the eleventh century, there was practiced a holy
ceremony which represented, even more vividly than the one we have just been
describing, the scene that was witnessed on this day at Jerusalem: the blessed
Sacrament was carried in procession. The heresy of Berengarius, against the real
presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, had been broached about that time; and the
tribute of triumphant joy here shown to the sacred Host was a distant
preparation for the feast and procession which were to be instituted at a later
period.
A touching ceremony was also practiced in Jerusalem during today's procession,
and, like those just mentioned, was intended to commemorate the event related by
the Gospel. The whole community of the Franciscans (to whose keeping the holy
places are entrusted) went in the morning to Bethphage. There, the father
guardian of the holy Land, being vested in pontifical robes, mounted upon an
ass, on which garments were laid. Accompanied by the friars and the Catholics of
Jerusalem, all holding palms in their hands, he entered the city, and alighted
at the church of the holy sepulchre where Mass was celebrated with all possible
solemnity.
We have mentioned these different usages, as we have done others on similar
occasions, in order to aid the faithful to the better understanding of the
several mysteries of the liturgy. In the present instance, they will learn that,
in to-day's procession, the Church wishes us to honour Jesus Christ as though He
were really among us, and were receiving the humble tribute of our loyalty. Let
us lovingly go forth to meet this our King, our Saviour, who comes to visit the
daughter of Sion, as the prophet has just told us. He is in our midst; it is to
Him that we pay honour with our palms: let us give Him our hearts too. He comes
that He may be our King; let us welcome Him as such, and fervently cry out to
Him: 'Hosanna to the Son of David!'
At the close of the procession a ceremony takes place, which is full of the
sublimest symbolism. On returning to the church, the doors are found to be shut.
The triumphant procession is stopped; but the songs of joy are continued. A hymn
in honour of Christ our King is sung with its joyous chorus; and at length the
subdeacon strikes the door with the staff of the cross; the door opens, and the
people, preceded by the clergy, enter the church, proclaiming the praise of Him,
who is our resurrection and our life.
This ceremony is intended to represent the entry of Jesus into that Jerusalem of
which the earthly one was but the figure--the Jerusalem of heaven, which has
been opened for us by our Saviour. The sin of our first parents had shut it
against us; but Jesus, the King of glory, opened its gates by His cross, to
which every resistance yields. Let us, then, continue to follow in the footsteps
of the Son of David, for He is also the Son of God, and He invites us to share
His kingdom with Him. Thus, by the procession, which is commemorative of what
happened on this day, the Church raises up our thoughts to the glorious mystery
of the Ascension, whereby heaven was made the close of Jesus' mission on earth.
Alas! the interval between these two triumphs of our Redeemer are not all days
of joy; and no sooner is our procession over, than the Church, who had laid
aside for a moment the weight of her grief, falls back into sorrow and mourning.
The third part of today's service is the offering of the holy Sacrifice. The
portions that are sung by the choir are expressive of the deepest desolation;
and the history of our Lord's Passion, which is now to be read by anticipation,
gives to the rest of the day that character of sacred gloom, which we all know
so well. For the last five or six centuries, the Church has adopted a special
chant for this narrative of the holy Gospel. The historian, or the evangelist,
relates the events in a tone that is at once grave and pathetic; the words of
our Saviour are sung to a solemn yet sweet melody, which strikingly contrasts
with the high dominant of the several other interlocutors and the Jewish
populace. During the singing of the Passion, the faithful should hold their
palms in their hands, and, by this emblem of triumph, protest against the
insults offered to Jesus by His enemies. As we listen to each humiliation and
suffering, all of which were endured out of love for us, let us offer Him our
palm as to our dearest Lord and King. When should we be more adoring, than when
He is most suffering?
These are the leading features of this great day. According to our usual plan,
we will add to the prayers and lessons any instructions that seem to be needed.
This Sunday, besides its liturgical and popular appellation of Palm Sunday, has
had several other names. Thus it was called Hosanna Sunday, in allusion to the
acclamation wherewith the Jews greeted Jesus on His entry into Jerusalem. Our
forefathers used also to call it Pascha Floridum, because the feast of the Pasch
(or Easter), which is but eight days off, is today in bud, so to speak, and the
faithful could begin from this Sunday to fulfill the precept of Easter
Communion. It was in allusion to this name, that the Spaniards, having on the
Palm Sunday of 1513, discovered the peninsula on the Gulf of Mexico, called it
Florida. We also find the name of Capitilavium given to this Sunday, because,
during those times when it was the custom to defer till Holy Saturday the
baptism of infants born during the preceding months (where such a delay entailed
no danger), the parents used, on this day, to wash the heads of these children,
out of respect to the holy chrism wherewith they were to be anointed. Later on,
this Sunday was, at least in some churches, called the Pasch of the competents,
that is, of the catechumens, who were admitted to Baptism; they assembled today
in the church, and received a special instruction on the symbol, which had been
given to them in the previous scrutiny. In the Gothic Church of Spain, the
symbol was not given till today. The Greeks call this Sunday Baïphoros, that is,
Palm-bearing.
This beautiful ceremony, which dated from the period of the Latin kingdom in
Jerusalem, has been forbidden for now almost two hundred years, by the Turkish
authorities of the city.
See Also:
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday - Passion Sunday
The Sunday before Easter is observed by virtually all Christians -- Protestant,
Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox -- as Palm Sunday. For all Church
traditions the feast has a bittersweet taste.
Passion Week Home | Sermons Home | General Sermons and Essays | Articles Home | Library - Home | Baselios Church Home
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