Homily Palm Sunday Year A - Preparing for Easter

Homily (Sermon) – Preparing for Easter

The Readings for Palm Sunday year A:
Matthew 21:1-11
Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm 21
Philippians 2:6-11
Matthew 26:14-27:66
[ All these readings can be found at www.universalis.com for the next few weeks.]


Our Lenten time of preparation is almost over. How has your Lent been? Are you prepared? Are you ready?

We have been preparing for Easter, but what does that really mean?

Can you tell me what you have been preparing for, what you are ready for? Can you tell me what you are going to do next Sunday and beyond?

If you are struggling with any of those questions then you are not alone. I don’t yet feel prepared. I am not entirely sure what will be different next Sunday. Luckily we still have a week to ponder these questions and a lot can happen in a week. A lot happend to Jesus in a week.

Today is Palm Sunday. Today Jesus entered Jerusalem to the jubilant cries of the Israelite people. They carpeted His way with palm leaves, welcoming their King; they called to Him to save them. The more educated of them would have recognised His entrance into Jerusalem as the same way the Maccabee’s were greeted when they reclaimed and purified the temple after it desecration.

He rode upon a donkey; this was not as we might assume a humble act, but it was a declaration of intent. Kings would ride a horse to war but a donkey if they were coming in peace. Jesus came to declare peace, to purify and reclaim world, He came as the King, worshiped and adored by tens of thousands as he entered the city and only six day later he was killed as a common thief and not one of his friends lifted a finger to help.

We are entering into the most holy time of the year, Holy Week. We are invited to travel with Christ. Today we see him enter the city of Jerusalem. Thursday we will sit down to the Passover meal with Him. Friday we will stand at the foot of His cross. We will watch Him die. Saturday we will morn. As the sun sets on Saturday evening we will gather together to watch for the return of His light, then we will rejoice for He is Risen. This journey is emotional; it’s a time to grow closer to your God who died for you. It’s the final steps of your preparation.

Pope Francis challenges us an Easter people, a people of the risen Christ. We have to prepare in Lent to be that Easter people. We spend time in prayer, we spend time giving charitably, we spend time fasting, we spend time preparing, preparing for Easter. Not for one Easter Mass, not for one day, not for 50 days, No! We spend time preparing to be the people of Christ, the people of the risen Christ, the people of light and hope and love. We have been saved; rejoice. We have been saved; Worship and thank Him. We have been saved; go out into the world and save others.

Don’t get stuck in Lent. Don’t get stuck in guilt. Don’t get stuck!

Start thinking now, what you will do as an Easter person.

How will you celebrate, live, teach, serve, love? How will you respond to the challenge of your Pope? How will you respond to the call of your God? Try and do something new, it doesn’t have to be big, just new and Easter filled.

We will be celebrating the Stations of the Resurrection during Eastertide this year at Our Lady of Lourdes. In the same way that the Stations of the Cross let us journey with Christ to his death, so the Stations of the Resurrection let us journey with the risen Christ from his resurrection.

Fill yourself this Easter with joy. Fill yourself with light. Fill yourself with Love. Fill yourself with Life. Fill yourself till you overflow. Christ won all those things for you that first Easter weekend.

Our Lenten time of preparation is almost over. I am beginning to think I am ready to be an Easter person. How ready are you?