Catholics around the world celebrate Palm Sunday
Pope Francis, marking Palm Sunday in a packed St. Peter's Square, ignored his prepared homily and spoke entirely off-the-cuff in a remarkable departure from practice. Later, he continued to stray from the script by hopping off his popemobile to pose- While Christmas has a season of music in malls and lights on houses, Palm Sunday prepares people of faith for Easter. Info courtesy: themonitor.com
- The Bible says the throngs of people who greeted him as he entered the city shouted “hosanna,” a Hebrew word that translates to “save us.”
- The laying of palm branches in churches symbolizes the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem just days before his crucifixion.
- Palm Sunday celebrations vary among Protestant churches, Guevara explained that the liturgies performed today and throughout the week in Catholic churches will be quite similar as Catholics prepare for Easter, the holiest day of the year.
- “Lent initiated a time of reflection to renew our faith because it points to the event that brought salvation to us,” said Father Alfonso Guevara, vicar general for the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville.
- The final week of Lent allows for a renewed focus on faith, just as the 40 days of Lent promotes a centering of the mind on Jesus and his sacrifice.
- It is a reminder for people of faith to begin mentally and emotionally preparing themselves for the Easter celebration.
- Its role in helping believers understand the significance of Easter is no less important than Ash Wednesday or other days on the Christian calendar.
- Palm Sunday also marks the first step toward the cross for Jesus Christ, where Christians and Catholics alike believe the Jewish man died for the sins of humanity.
- When the palm branches are laid down at churches across the country today it will mark the beginning of Holy Week, which runs through Easter Sunday and includes some of the most reverent and significant liturgies within the Roman Catholic faith.
- In Jerusalem, worshipers prayed at Deir El Sultan in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditionally believed to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus.
- At the Vatican, Pope Francis ignored his prepared homily and spoke entirely off-the-cuff in a remarkable departure from practice.
- Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, when palm branches were strewn before him, before his crucifixion.
- Around the world, Christians celebrate Palm Sunday with waving fronds, processions and prayer.
- Holy Week culminates next Sunday with Easter Mass, also in St. Peter's Square. Many faithful will remain in Rome, while others will pour into the city for the April 27 canonization of two popes, John Paul II and John XXIII. Francis noted that John
- Francis used a wooden pastoral staff carved by Italian prison inmates, who donated it to him. The pope wants to put people on the margins of life at the center of the church's attention.
Pope Francis, marking Palm Sunday in a packed St. Peter's Square, ignored his prepared homily and spoke entirely off-the-cuff in a remarkable departure from practice. Later, he continued to stray from the script by hopping off his popemobile to pose
Catholics around the world celebrate Palm Sunday
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