Today we recall his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. And the people walked along the street, picked branches and laid them in front of him and sang Hosanna to the Son of David. On Holy Thursday, we will remember what Jesus did. While they were at supper, He took the bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples and said, “Take this and eat it; Take this and drink it”.

Before that, he gave them an example of service. While they were reclining at the table, He took off his clothes, wrapped himself in a towel and walked around and washed His disciples’ feet. And he said to them, “If I, your servant and Lord wash your feet, you must do the same for one another.” It is our tasks as Christians to look after one another; to wash each other’s feet; to feed those who are hungry; to relieve the oppressed. Our work as Christians is to get in the life of our Brothers and Sisters, to help them to stand on their feet, to help them to come closer to God.

Jesus showed us on that Holy Thursday two things: one, where he gave himself to them and said to them, “This is my Body and Blood”; the other, He served them.

For us, as Christians, our life too must take on those two aspects: pay attention to our lives and serving our Brothers and Sisters. What we do in here must impel us, must force us outside in the ordinary ways to bring God’s message there. (On) Holy Thursday (there is), the institution of the Blessed Sacrament; Holy Thursday—the giving to us of a command to serve our Brothers and Sisters. Remember, on Holy Thursday, we will bring our gifts for the poor reminding ourselves, not only on that day, but every day of our lives that the poor must be taken care of. We will put two baskets at the back and again you will bring your goods—anything you have—and place it at the back. After the Mass on Holy Thursday, when we have put the Altar of Repose, we will leave the Church in silence—no singing, no talking, no “hello”; we go home meditating on what we have heard and what we have experienced.

And then we come back here on Good Friday and we listen to the whole story of the salvation of the world. Again, no music—we simply come to listen to the Word of God and let that Word permeate our very lives so that we can respond to God in love. We will have Communion, we will venerate the cross which is the sign of our victory; we will come up here one by one and we will venerate the cross. Some of us will touch it; some of us will kneel in silent; some of us will kiss it; however we can, we venerate that cross remembering it is the sign of our victory over sin and death. And then again we leave the church in silence.

Then we come back here on Holy Saturday night when our spirit and our lives will be renewed. Once again, we have light and music and drama. All of us are invited to participate in all these days—all these holy days. On Holy Saturday night, we will renew our vows—the vows that said we believe in God, we believe in Jesus, we believe in the Holy Spirit, we believe in the communion of saints, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting. We will light our candles and we will remember the vows we made and renew them on Holy Saturday night. On that night, we will baptize those who have asked to become members of the church. We will pray for them. All of us here will pray for them and we will ask all the angels and saints also to pray for them.

When we sing our litany, we ask God to surround them with a great company of believers and that they themselves will believe in God and become witnesses for him.

On Holy Saturday night, we don’t leave in silence. We rejoice in the gifts that God has given us, the gift of new life, the gift of new members, renewing our faith and strengthening us again. I invite all of you, my brothers and sisters, to come and let us celebrate these three days. We have set the time so that you may be free enough to come. We are all invited to come and pray with them and for them (the catechumens); that the Lord will strengthen them to be good and hard working Christians. We pray also for ourselves, that our own faith will be renewed, be enlivened so that we will make an impact on the world in which we are living. Let us pray now and ask the Lord to walk with us in these three days.”

Popular Palm Sunday hymns include ‘All Glory, Laud and Honor’ and ‘Ride on, Ride on in Majesty’.
LEON JAMESON SUSERAN