Holy Week: what is commemorated on Palm Sunday

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Palm Sunday: arrival of the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem, when he was welcomed with bouquets made of palm leaves – credit iStock

Colombians are preparing for one of the most important seasons of 2024, Holy Week, a time to reflect, get closer to God, pray, and for many also a date to rest from their work and educational activities.

This week consists of eight days of religious celebration, which begins on Palm Sunday, which falls in 2024 on Sunday, March 24, continues with Holy Saturday and concludes with Easter Sunday.

Many Colombians do not know for sure what happened on each of these days, therefore, if you are interested in knowing what happened on Palm Sunday, the first day of Semana Mayor, in this note you will learn the relevance that the date has in the religious calendar.

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This day remembers the last moments of the life of the Lord Jesus. The events related to the Passion of Christ begin on Palm Sunday and culminate on Easter.

According to the Gospels, it was the day Jesus entered Jerusalem, in Israel. Until then, the Jewish prophet had stayed with his disciples in a village called Bethany, on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives, also in Jerusalem, according to the Encyclopedia of World History.

Palm Sunday commemorates the last moments of the life of the Lord Jesus – credit iStock

It is the commemoration that begins Holy Week, a period in which the last days of Jesus’ earthly life are contemplated, according to the religious portal Vatican News.

The Jewish prophet entered the city riding a donkey and was greeted with joy by a crowd of people who, it is believed, were waving palm branches, hence the name of the commemoration. At that time the people received him as “the son of David” and the “king of the Jews.”

“Jesus’ entry into the city is always described as a triumph in shared cultural tradition, recalling the way kings entered a city. The Gospels also proclaim it as a ‘fulfillment of prophecy.’”

The Eucharist of this day has two important moments. On the one hand, the procession along the path of olive trees and palms and, on the other, the reading of the word of God, which evokes the Passion of the Lord, recorded in the gospel of Saint Matthew.

To commemorate the sacrifice made by the Lord Jesus more than 2,000 years ago, you can take some time to reflect by reading some passages from the Holy Bible such as:

The Holy Week consists of eight days of religious celebration – credit Enrique Breccia

• “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom that is coming, the kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”: Mark 11:9-10.
• “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”: 1 Peter 3:18.
• “Have in yourselves the same feelings that Christ Jesus had, who, being by nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”: Philippians 2:5-6.
• “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”: Luke 19:38.
• “Therefore, brothers, you know that through the blood of Jesus, God made you, who once were far away, draw near to him.”: Ephesians 2:13.
• “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”: John 3:16.
• “For the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”: Mark 10:45.

Each of these phrases invites us to reflect on the deep meaning of Palm Sunday and to renew our commitment to the Christian faith.

*These passages were written with the help of artificial intelligence.