Father Gervan Menezes - Mar 29

St. Philip Catholic Church: Today, we begin this celebration with joy. We hold palms in our hands. We sing Rosanna. We walk with the crowds, welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. It feels like a victory parade. The King has come. But within minutes, with the same liturgy, the tone changes. The same voices that cried Rosanna. become the voices who shall crucify Him. Palm Sunday holds these two realities together, glory and suffering, praise and rejection, triumph and the cross. The crowds in Jerusalem is not a distance from us as we might think. They welcome Jesus when He met their expectations. This political messiah, a miracle worker, someone who would make life easier. But when Jesus did not fit their plan, when He spoke of suffering, sacrifice, and the cross, they all turned away. And if we are honest, we can see ourselves in the crowds. We say hosanna when life is good. We follow Jesus when it's convenient. But when discipleship becomes costly, when forgiveness is hard, when faith demands sacrifice, we all step away. Palm Sunday asked us a difficult question. Do we follow Jesus only in the moments of glory? or also on the roads to Calvary. The first reading from Isaiah gives us this powerful image. I gave my back to those who beat me, and I did not turn away. Jesus is not a king who conquers by force. He is a king who conquers by love that suffers. He does not run from betrayal. He does not resist humiliation. He does not avoid the cross. Instead, he embraces freely and lovingly. This is the mystery of Palm Sunday. The one we praise as king reigns not from a throne, but from the cross. And remember, on Christmas time, we had the crib right here. that creep that lead us to the cross. St. Paul tells the Philippians, he aimed to himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Jesus shows us the true meaning of power. Not dominion, but self-giving. Not control, but surrender. Not pride, but humbly. And this becomes the pattern of Christian life. To follow Christ means to empty ourselves, to serve others, to love them. Today is not something we remember. It is something that we enter. Holy Week is not a story that we watch from a distance. It's a journey that we all are invited to walk with Christ. So the question becomes very personal. Where am I in this passion story? Am I the one who prays but does not persevere? Am I the one who betrays in small ways? Am I the one who runs away when things get difficult? Or am I willing to stay with Jesus? Stay with him the garden. Stay with him before Pilate. Stay with him at the foot of the cross. Hosanna does not just mean praise, it also means save us. Today we cry out not just with words, but with our lives. Lord, save us from our inconsistency, from our fear of the cross. for law of the only win, it is easy. As you and I hold the palms today, remember, it is not just a sign of victory. It is a sign that leads to the cross. this week, just don't wave the palms, walk the path, walk with Christ from the upper room to the Gethsemane to Calvary and to the empty tomb. Because only those who walk within His Passion will share with Him in His Resurrection. Hosanna in the highest.