Catholics celebrate Palm Sunday today

Today, one week before Easter, Christians around the globe will remember Jesus' short trip from Bethany to Jerusalem five days before his crucifixion -we call it Palm Sunday.

Cebu Archdiocese Media Liaison Officer Msgr. Achilles Dakay said that this year's Palm Sunday is the Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.

Dakay said that this will be the first time that the Christ's Passion will be read throughout the churches of the archdiocese this Palm Sunday.

"We call it Palm Sunday because of what happened during that trip. Jesus was welcomed by people of Jerusalem. They laid palm branches -as a symbol of joy- in the road to make the passage smoother for the Lord," Dakay said.

Palm Sunday is sometimes called the Sunday of the Passion because our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem marked the beginning of His great and final humiliation -His suffering and brutal death on the cross to atone for the sins of the world.

"Passion does not only mean the pain of Jesus but also on how he suffered with patience, humility, silence and love. Uban sa dakong pagpaubos, pagpailob ug pagpamakanunayon, wa sya mosupil wa sya mobiya sa Diyos gani gipatara niya ang iyang lingkod ug ang iyang aping wa niya ilingiaw ang iyang nawng kay taas ug lawom kaayo ang iyang pagsalig dios nga di gyud sya maunsa ug di gyud sya maulawan " he said.

When Palm Sunday is observed as the Sunday of the Passion, worship services traditionally feature the reading of the entire passion narrative from Matthew, Mark, or Luke. The reading of this long text is often divided into parts and separated by hymn responses or short homilies.

Dakay said that reflections for this years palm Sunday will be taken from Isiah 50:4-7, Fil 2:6-11 and Mark 14:1-72 to 15:1-47 which will be read in the whole archdiocese. - Jasmin R. Uy