With the celebration of Palm Sunday, we enter the heart of a season marked by long, sacred liturgical celebrations. After listening to the Passion narrative and looking ahead to the unfolding events of Holy Week, this may not seem like the moment for lengthy sermons or extended reflections. However, we must remain attentive to why the Church has arranged these sacred moments so carefully. Among other reasons, they serve to draw us into a deeper awareness of what it truly cost Jesus Christ to bring us healing, restoration, and reconciliation.
Many of us like “fast food.” We see it every day, long lines at places like In-N-Out Burger, McDonald’s, or Burger King, people waiting for something quick and ready-made. But Easter is not fast food. Easter is something organic, patiently prepared, like a home-cooked meal that takes time and care. It is structured to satisfy the deepest longings of our souls for God, a kind of nourishment we neither rush nor should rush.
Today, we begin that sacred transition into the great events of Easter. As I welcome you to the opening of our Holy Week journey, I invite you to remember that, just as Jesus rode a colt into Jerusalem, so too does God desire to make use of each one of us. God needs us, all of us, to continue His mission of restoring humanity to Himself. Let us resolve in our hearts to be part of that mission by living with honesty and integrity, true to ourselves, to our families, and to our communities. With hearts that love and care, we walk this journey of life and faith together, and by God’s grace, we shall bring it to completion together.
