2025/04/13 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

- Max Wink, Asst Mgr of Events & Ministry Engagements

Throughout Lent, we have strived to journey towards the cross through our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. For each of us, I imagine there have been moments of grace, but also moments of difficulty. Whether your Lent has been filled more with days of grace or days of struggle, we have all arrived at the same place, Holy Week.  

This week, we hear two accounts of Christ’s Passion from the Gospels of Luke and John. These two proclamations of the Passion are not isolated moments in Holy Week; they are invitations to place ourselves in the story of Christ’s suffering from the morning of Palm Sunday through to the beginning of the Easter Vigil, when He transforms His suffering into glory. 

To that end, I invite you today to pray with the Passion, imaginatively placing yourself in the story of Christ’s death. I encourage you to read slowly, pausing at times, and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide your experience. By praying with this narrative, we prepare ourselves to remain with Christ throughout Holy Week as we await the joy of Easter. 

* * *

Place yourself in the courtyard of Pontius Pilate, one of many in the gathered crowd. 

Your eyes are closed, weary from waiting with the apostles through the night. The voices that were yelling moments ago, calling for crucifixion, have now become murmurs. Jesus has been taken away; you long to see Him again. The shoulders of the people around you bump into yours. You hear a large gate being opened, and the voices become loud again. You open your eyes. 

Above the crowd, you see large piece of wood now passing through the gate. Below the cross, you catch sight of the top of His head and the thorny crown that now presses into Him. All begin to follow. 

Below you, you see the impression of the cross as it drags through the dirt. It proceeds in a line towards the hill in the distance.  

Up ahead, the cross begins to tilt. It falls out of view. There is loud thud, and all comes to a halt. You hear a soldier yelling at Jesus to stand back up. In a few moments, the procession resumes. 

As you walk, the crowd gradually thins out. Jesus’ figure comes into clearer view, and you move close to Him. You join the small circle of people still walking with Jesus. A man stands at his side, Simon, the cross now on his shoulder.  

At last, you see the face of Jesus. His eyes are tired. His cheeks are marked with a mix of blood and dirt. His eyes meet yours; despite His appearance, you can still feel the warmth of His love as he looks at you. He turns towards Simon and takes up the cross again. The weight of it immediately causes Him to hunch down. He musters the strength to continue walking. 

The top of the hill is no longer far off, and a group of soldiers stands there, waiting for Jesus. They stand over two other men with crosses, taunting them. The harsh sound of their yells is completely at odds with the soft voice you now hear beside you. Jesus has stopped again, and He is speaking to a crowd of women that has formed. He draws close to them and whispers to them. Eventually, he is forced to move on. 

Jesus reaches the top of the hill. He has joined with the two criminals. Everything that is now happening blurs together: the sound of hammers striking nails, the shouts from the three men, the heavy breathing of the onlookers, the darkening of the sky. 

Jesus and the two others are now raised before you on their crosses. Their raspy voices can be heard speaking to one another. Jesus lifts His head and says to the man on His right, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

You close your eyes, trying to find comfort in His words. “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”   

He speaks again: “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” Then there is silence. 

By the time you open your eyes, many have departed, but one woman still sits at the foot of the cross. You recognize that it is Mary. You join her there, sitting arm in arm. 

You remain with her for a time, until at last the body is taken away.