Fr. Dale’s Homily – Passion/Palm Sunday

Passion / Palm Sunday

April 12-13, 2025

Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:56

Imagine, if you will, a group of people walking through a huge store they seldom have a chance to visit; maybe just once a year.  On every display, there is a sign that proclaims “HUGE SALE”!  In this store, the sales are genuine and represent outstanding value.  But the people assume it is all “just routine sale promotion, just business as usual.”  They leave the store without checking anything out; they miss out on the special values that were available to them.

With today’s liturgy we begin HOLY WEEK.  The analogy you just heard is not perfect; God doesn’t run a sale on grace this week – grace is always FREE.  But there are special, sacred times of grace.  HOLY WEEK is one.  It is unlike any of the other 51 weeks of the year.  The upcoming days can truly be holy ones for us if we are aware…

HOLY THURSDAY.  Recall and appreciate more deeply; Jesus’ deep affection for his friends and example of service to others; his desire to remain with us and his breathtaking gift of The Eucharist; His acceptance in the Garden of “doing for us what we could not do for ourselves”.

We bring to the Lord our experience of community, both joy and pain; gratitude for Eucharist and desire to enter more deeply into it; we ask ourselves; what are areas of our lives that most need nourishment?

GOOD FRIDAY.  Recall and appreciate more deeply; Jesus’ acceptance of injustice, pain and death for our sake; his forgiveness of those responsible.

We bring to the Lord our own sadnesses; past, present and to come; contrition for the ways we have been part of “the hour of darkness”.

HOLY SATURDAY.  Recall and appreciate more deeply; the shock, confusion and emptiness felt by those who loved Jesus; and through all this, God’s plan moving toward fulfillment; death: a requirement for resurrection.

Bring to the Lord all those whose world would have been suddenly torn apart; petition for trust, even in the darkest of times; that God is still in charge; our desire to be spiritually renewed.

EASTER VIGIL/EASTER SUNDAY.  Recall and appreciate more deeply; God promised a savior and God delivered.  Our personal history is joined to the great events of salvation history. Despite news headlines, victory over death is final.

Bring to the Lord boundless gratitude for being restored to new life; desire to see signs of new life in our lives and the lives of others.

In our Eucharist today, we celebrate the Pascal Mystery which we recall in detail during Holy Week.  Let us pray for the grace to enter fully into this sacred time… the holiest of all the weeks of the year.