SUNDAY HOMILIES

March 24, 2024

FEATUREDCDRBISHOP GOLKAFR. LANGEHSHEILA LEOCADIA PIRES

March 22, 2018

KEY INSIGHTS w/ Timestamps

The passion of Jesus emphasizes the importance of the body and prompts reflection on how we use our bodies to spread the love of God.

00:00 🌿 The readings for Palm Sunday emphasize the importance of the body in the passion story.
01:06 🌿 The passion of Jesus is a physical, embodied experience that involves his whole person and is essential for our Salvation.
02:09 🌿 Jesus humbled himself, took on human form, and offered his body as a gift to God, leading to the realization of his divinity through his suffering, prompting reflection on our own bodies.
03:23 💭 Our bodies come in different shapes and conditions, but they are important to us and make us think about why God gave them to us.
04:04 🌿 Our bodily senses are how we experience and respond to everything, but they can also cause us pain.
05:05 🌿 We should reflect on the purpose of our bodies and how we use them, especially during the celebration of Palm Sunday.
06:07 🌿 We should use our desires and actions for good and to spread the love of God.
06:46 🌿 Jesus' act of giving his body during the Eucharistic prayer is a reminder for us to offer ourselves to others in faith, regardless of our physical condition.

2021 Archive / View More

KEY INSIGHTS w/ Timestamps

Jesus' crucifixion and death on the cross is the ultimate culmination of his glory, and we are called to embrace sacrificial love and imitate Christ in our own lives.

00:00 🌿 Jesus was welcomed with enthusiasm on Palm Sunday, but less than a week later he would leave Jerusalem with a heavy cross on his shoulders to die.
01:27 🌿 Rejoicing and praise as Jesus enters and sorrow and shock as he leaves are not so different from a divine perspective.
01:48 🌿 In heaven, the end of the week is the ultimate culmination of the glory of Jesus, as his crucifixion and death is nothing other than his hour of glory.
02:35 🌿 Jesus enters Jerusalem to take up his eternal kingship on the cross, and we must see his journey as our own calling towards glory.
03:32 🌿 Reflect on the events of this week, commit to sacrificial love, and embrace your calling to imitate Christ.
04:37 🌿 Embrace the glory of the cross and share in the transforming sacrificial love of Jesus.

March 24, 2024

KEY INSIGHTS w/ Timestamps

Holy Week is a time to reflect on Jesus' sacrifice and to be faithful disciples, carrying Christ into every aspect of our lives.

00:00 🌿 Holy Week is a time to participate in the church's rituals and reflect on the readings of the day.
00:45 🌿 Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt and disciples are asked to fetch a donkey, making it a truly Holy Week for Palm Sunday.
01:26 🙏 Be a faithful disciple, serving Christ's purposes and listening to what he's calling you to do.
01:57 👑 Jesus enters as a humble king, preparing to give his life, and we are all called to be Christ Bearers.
02:28 🌿 Carry Christ into every aspect of your life, as he emptied himself to take the form of a slave.
02:51 🌿 Embrace the concept of kosis, receive and share God's gifts to enhance your life, and be ready for Easter.

2021 Archive / Recent Reflections

KEY INSIGHTS w/ Timestamps

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week and the conflicting emotions of the crowd reflect our own conflicting thoughts and actions, but we must stand with Jesus and live a life of love.

00:00 🌿 Palm Sunday commemorates the Lord's passion and the gospel reading is from Mark chapter 11 to 15.
01:21 🌿 Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, with the main ceremonies including the blessing of the palms, procession, and mass, and the reading or singing of the Passion.
02:23 🌿 Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah by riding on a donkey, and the crowd rejoices and spreads their clothes on the road, shouting "Hosanna."
03:26 🌿 The crowd's joyous expectations on Palm Sunday turn to disappointment as they shout "Hosanna" but ultimately call for Jesus to be crucified, reflecting the paradox of our own conflicting thoughts and actions.
04:22 🌿 Our actions and thoughts may be shouting "crucify him" instead of "Hosanna", but we must stand with Jesus and live a life of love.
04:59 🌴 Blessed is the kingdom of our ancestor David, the Bible diary contains everyday biblical readings, prayers, and much more, including a children's Bible.

March 24, 2024

KEY INSIGHTS w/ Timestamps

Holy Week is a time for reflection, forgiveness, and embracing God's newness in order to draw closer to Him and live more like Jesus.

00:00 🌿 Palm Sunday is bittersweet, marking the start of Holy Week and a time for reflection on the Passion of Jesus Christ.
01:13 🌴 Over 60 countries are having general elections, including South Africa, and it's a decisive moment for many nations.
01:32 🌿 The Catholic church has been on a journey of reflection, dialogue, and prayer since October 2021.
02:09 🌍 God is creating a diverse, non-Western church where women take on leadership roles and shape theology and spirituality.
02:35 🌿 Embrace God's newness, reflect on Jesus's betrayal, and strive to become a welcoming and listening church.
03:40 🌿 Reflect on forgiveness, open dialogue, and deep prayer during Holy Week to draw closer to God and live more like Jesus.

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SOURCE: Father Andrew Ricci

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SOURCE: National Shrine

Introduction

OPTION A

One with Jesus in Suffering and Triumph

Today’s celebration is the opening scene of the drama of Holy Week. It points to the two central acts that brought us forgiveness and new life: Jesus’ death and resurrection. We acclaim Jesus as our victorious King when we wave our palms, for he will overcome sin and death on Easter. But to win this victory, he chose to pass through suffering and death, as we are told in the story of his passion. Let us be one with Jesus in his pain, that we may also share in his victory.

Penitential Act
General Intercessions

SOURCE: Bible Claret Liturgy Alive

OPTION B

Jesus' Passion and Death

We open this most Holy Week continuing the theme of the cost of faithful obedience and the reality of suffering. It is easy to be enamored with the concept of love, but the truth is that love is costly. Revelation is the story of God’s great love for us. Today, we remember the cost of that love in Jesus’ passion and death, and we ask ourselves where we fit in all of this. The answer is profoundly humbling, no matter who we are.

Penitential Act
Prayer of the Faithful

SOURCE: National Catholic Reporter: Cycle B Sunday Resources feature series. View the full series.

[contentcards url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELzaAgFQrFQ”%5D

UPDATED/ADAPTED FROM CELEBRATION 2018 NOTES

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion—That’s the rather awkward title that the Missal gives to this Sunday. While it’s a lot of words for a title, it does serve to remind us that this day has a dual focus: The blessing and procession with palms and The proclamation of the Passion.

The Procession with Palms

The Procession with the Palms

Perhaps the biggest challenge for this Sunday is the procession with the palms. In the Roman Rite, we don’t process the entire assembly very often, so it requires some extra guidance until people learn how to do it well. Make sure ushers are stationed at key points along the route to guide people, to warn them about steps, etc. Tell the assembly clearly who will lead the procession and when they are to follow. To sustain the singing, spread the choir members through the assembly so that they can help people stay on key and in time with the rest.

A key breakdown point comes when the procession enters the worship space. We need to instruct people to stay in the procession all the way to the sanctuary and then use the side aisles (or whatever works best in your space) to go to their seats. Otherwise the procession just ends when the first people start entering the seats.

Take time before beginning the service with the palms to explain the procession, but also remind the assembly of the key points right before the procession starts.

The Blessing of the Palms

For the blessing of palms, note that this year there is a choice between the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John. Both texts are in the Missal, so there is no need to carry the Lectionary or the Book of the Gospels to the place where the assembly gathers.

If you don’t do the procession at each Mass this weekend, consult the rubrics in the Missal for the solemn entrance or the simple entrance. No matter how you begin, take the extra care required to make the ritual flow smoothly. That’s important all this week, and the extra effort will help people enter into the deeper meaning of what we celebrate together.

READ MORE

SOURCE: NCR: Cycle B series.

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Passion Resources

Word Pronunciations

Here are words you’ll find in the Passion narrative (in the NAB translation common in U.S. Catholic congregations) that you don’t use in everyday conversation.

Unleavened
alabaster
spikenard
Judas Iscariot
Gethsemane
Sanhedrin
Prophesy

Nazorean
Barabbas
scourged
Praetorium
cohort
Cyrenian
Golgotha

reviled
myrrh
Elijah
Joses
Salome
Arimathea
centurion

A complete Holy Week Missal from the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Translation matches the U.S.A. Catholic version. Passion Sunday gospel passages are found as follows

A Microsoft Word document with procession and passion narratives, Matthew, Mark & Luke, years A, B & C, also from Catholic Hong Kong

SOURCE: Lector Notes – Many of these come from BibleWorkshop and BibleSpeak. A few are from Wordsmith, and a few from Google.

Featured Resources

Australian Catholics

[contentcards url=”https://www.australiancatholics.com.au/palm-sunday-year-b-2024″%5D

[contentcards url=”https://www.australiancatholics.com.au/homily-notes-palm-sunday-year-b-2024″%5D

Palm Sunday B

[contentcards url=”https://www.english.op.org/torch/serious-fun/”%5D

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion | Fr Toby Lees preaches on the importance of playing.

I think there’s at least of an element of child’s play in what we do on Palm Sunday with our processions before Mass. On this day, we do not simply hear about the procession on Palm Sunday into Jerusalem, but instead we begin somewhere other than our normal seat and with our palms we process. In the liturgy today, we take to the stage, not just hearing, not just imagining, but doing. I also think it is why movement matters in Mass and the prayer always.

ST PAUL CENTER FOR BIBLICAL THEOLOGY – Each week Scott Hahn gives a short reflection on the Sunday Readings. Go deeper in the Word of the Lord video series, a weekly conversation between John Bergsma and Scott Hahn.

THE WORD THIS WEEK brings you engaging videos and other content that are tailored to enhance your understanding of the Sunday readings. The creators of these resources are independent and not affiliated with this website.