By Cedric Prakash
Ahmedabad, March 30, 2026: It is Palm Sunday once again! The year 2026! There are a whole range of sentiments and reflections that overwhelm me, as I pray over the meaning and significance of the day!
Was that first Palm Sunday a once-and-for-all? A triumphant entry into a Holy City? And for what? Is it possible to contextualize that day, into the realities which grip our world today?
It is days before the ‘Passover’- how does one live this great Feast, when millions are suffering in Gaza/Palestine, Iran and other parts of the world. The Festival cannot be divorced from the reality of today! Yes, indeed there are several matters which must be considered even as I hold the PALM; these include:
Participation:
Can there be a Palm Sunday without the ‘participation of people’? Surely not! We the people, the crowd, finally recognize Jesus! We see in him the ‘prophet’, the Messiah, the Saviour we are longing for! We are ordinary people; we are also people at the margins, like the shepherds, or for that matter even ‘pagans’, like the wise men of the East.
We are people who have been conditioned by hierarchy, clericalism and patriarchy; by rites and rituals and in the political arena, by fascists, fundamentalists and fanatics! There are cunning manipulators and powerful vested interests who hold the world to ransom today! They are determined to cover the ‘Epstein Files’ with the blood of innocent people.
Have we participated in protests against this bloody war? It is one month now and already billions of dollars have been wastefully incurred.
In India draconian laws are put in place, which throttle the rights and freedom of the ordinary citizen. The palm therefore is a reminder that one needs to proactively participate in the building of God’s Kingdom of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity in the here and now!
Shouting ‘hosannas’ is not enough! One needs to smell of the sheep, be where it matters the most! To go out from the comfort of the sacristies and onto the streets! One needs to break free and do all one can to help remove the shackles which tie down our sisters and brothers. That is ‘Passover’. That is Palm Sunday! Participation in the NOW moment, is essential
Articulation:
One needs the courage of one’s conviction to articulate one’s hope. The crowds who came out to welcome Jesus demonstrated the unflinching courage to articulate their expectations and in a deeper way, their faith in the one who they truly believed was not only a prophet but also the Messiah!
Those who controlled their destinies could no longer cow them down. They sing their hosannas, loud and clear, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” The angels sang similar words that first night in Bethlehem when this child was born in a stable.
Now they use the words ‘King of Israel’ without any hesitation. The Prophet said long ago that he would come in humility seated on a donkey and they revel in this fulfillment.
We are all called today to take a visible and vocal stand against all the evil, the injustices that plague our nation and our world today. We are called to be persons who radiate the light of Christ. Hiding or being diplomatic because of our fears; our desire to protect our power, possessions, privileges, pride and positions is anathema to the person and message of Jesus.
Love:
All that matters is love. A love which is steadfast and unconditional. Jesus shows us that he radiates this merciful love always! The people (the hoi-polloi) take off their cloaks, their outer garments and spread them on the roads; break branches of palm and wave out to him.
These are spontaneous expressions of love. Openly done and perhaps at great risk! The significance of those actions will never be lost. They were not just acts of welcome or the subservient salutations to royalty. They were much more.
They were external manifestations, to get rid of the obstacles that encumbered one in welcoming the Messiah into one’s heart and into one’s life. The cloaks were going to be trampled upon by the donkey, which in some ways represent the temporariness of all that is material. The breaking of the branches for the welcome, also signifies the constant pruning a tree needs, in order to bear good fruit, to be filled with compassion.
In our world today which attempts to mainstream hate and prejudice, war and violence, the palm is a reminder that only love triumphs! An unequivocal message as we enter into the holiest week of the Church’s liturgical year!
Mission:
The triumphant entry into Jerusalem was for Jesus a ‘mission statement’. ‘Jerusalem’ is no longer a particular place. It is the place we stand on at this moment-that is our ‘sacred space.’ In the past, Jesus said, “my hour has not yet come.” Now he is open, he is defiant, a true revolutionary who fully believes in the mission which has been entrusted to him.; he knows that he is at the end of the journey.
In a few days from now, in great agony, but with a sense of triumph we will boldly proclaim from the cross, “It is accomplished!” For the people who wave at him with their hosannas, he looks at them with a pierced heart, “Very soon, you will shout, ‘Crucify Him!’.”
They are aware they do not have the courage and the honesty to follow him to the cross. They will deny him several times over. Yet his supreme sacrifice will challenge all to live that mission here on earth today.
Our Synodal journey is about communion, participation and mission. The palm reminds us that one must be focused on the mission that has been entrusted to us and to do all we can to realise that mission in the here and now!
PALM matters today and always! It is both an invitation and a challenge to all women and men of goodwill to Participate in and to Articulate one’s discipleship in the small, simple, ordinary things of one’s daily life; to Love others unconditionally and without ceasing and above all, to truly live the Mission entrusted to us, fearlessly, in the here and now!
Are we prepared to do so? Yes, PALM matters!
(Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash is a human rights, justice, reconciliation & peace activist/writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com)