Making Palm Sunday Special for Children
“The disciples brought donkey to Jesus and threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went […]
Palm Sunday
Holy Week at Home
For many families, attending church on a weeknight is challenging, to say the least. School, sports, lessons, orthodontist appointments –
The Very Stones
Jesus replies, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the very stones will cry out.”
Choosing Compassion on Palm Sunday and Everyday
On Palm Sunday we hear about a tragedy that unfolds at the hands of tyrants and a destructive empire.
Learning God’s Glory on Palm Sunday
For years, when I thought of Palm Sunday, I envisioned Jesus riding into Jerusalem with fanfare, celebration, and glory.
Palm Sunday at Home
For the second year in a row, we’ll not be at church on Palm Sunday, and I won’t be in charge of the donkey.
Liturgical Time Capsule
The idea came to me when I was gathering up the stubs of taper candles that we used for our Easter Vigil.
Palm Sunday in Extraordinary Times
I live in Austin, Texas, where, along with much of the country, I expect to remain under a “Shelter in Place” order during Palm Sunday. What a strange contradiction on a Sunday in which we would ordinarily march around the streets of the church, waving palm branches, and loudly singing, “Hosanna in the highest!”
Preparing for Holy Week at Home
Palm Sunday will be here in just a few short days and I am not ready for it. I’m not ready for Holy Week as a priest, as a parent, or as an individual person trying to follow Christ. And yet, it’s coming.
Parenting: when every day is Palm Sunday
Getting ready for Holy Week, I’m struck, as always, by how jarring the Palm Sunday liturgy is. One minute we’re all shouting “hosanna, hosanna!” (Greek for “save us”) and then the next thing we know, we’re shouting “Crucify him.” It’s emotionally wrenching; hope and expectation give way to fury and fear. No settling in, no probing depths. Our liturgy moves us from place to place, scarcely able to take a breath.