PALM SUNDAY IN SAN MATEO, RIZAL – one week before Easter, the Messiah has successfully entered Jerusalem. The shivering of woven palm leaves beckons the start of Holy Week 2024, commemorating the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of the people.
The 7:30 morning mass, documented live by the parish’s Media and Public Information Ministry, was led by Rev. Fr. Alexis Miday, donning brilliant red vestments. The 2024 Palm Sunday in the parish of Our Lady of Aranzazu was held within the old walls of the church itself, in contrast with the previous year, which was conducted at the patio.
The gospel was taken from the Book of Mark, retelling the crucial moments of Pontius Pilate’s final verdict, the crowning of Jesus with thorns, the crucifixion, death, and final words of Jesus Christ before his resurrection: “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (My God, my God, for what have you forsaken me?)
In his sermon, Fr. Alexis emphasized the paramountcy of the Lord in our mortal lives: “God is our natural environment, God is our natural habitat. A sea without fish remains a sea, but a fish out of water will die.” Likewise, he stated that God needs His people just as much, to carry their crosses and join Him in the battle against sin. “That is why Jesus had suffered: to free you, to make you triumphant. It is inadequate to simply watch as Jesus enters and fights against sin.”
Fr. Alexis ended his homily on a hopeful note, by saying that through walking with Jesus in His fight against sin, we may hear Him saying at the end of it all: “Isasama kita sa Paraiso.” (I will take you to paradise.)
The mass concluded solemnly with the blessing of Palm leaves, marking the start of Christ’s final days. (Angelica Ysabelle Capili)
