Just as did the multitude in ancient Jerusalem, the congregation, holding the palm branches that were laid at the feet of Christ during his procession, goes from shouting “Hosanna” (“Save us!”) and proclaiming him king, to shouting “Crucify Him!”
At the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron reflected on this dual nature of the day’s liturgy in his homily. He noted that this change within the day’s liturgy was once marked by the priest wearing vestments of two different colors.
But the question of just what we believe about Jesus Christ is just as important today for us today as it was for the people of Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday and during that first Holy Week, the archbishop continued, noting that many in the congregation that day were representatives of parish youth groups from around the archdiocese.
“Do we indeed believe that it is by dying that death is destroyed, that we can experience what God has in store for us?” he asked.
After the Mass, the archbishop held a meet-and-greet with the young people who attended, and the youths were also able to take a tour of the cathedral.
