FIND YOURSELF IN THE CROWD

Beginning a journey with the Lord

March 29, 2026 - Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of a journey with the Lord, that is why the procession at the beginning of this celebration takes on an added meaning…to symbolise the journey we take on: along with a crowd of people, a crowd of people with so many varied mindsets...

Let us just have a look…

    - there were those, who were wondering whether he would come or not, for the festival;

    - there were those, who were there to find some fault with him, in order that they may arrest him;

    - there were those, who were there just curious to see some spectacle or signs;

    - there were those, who were there to see if what they heard about this man called Jesus was really true;

    - there were those, who did not have even a clue as to what was happening, they were carried away by the crowd;

    - there were those, who were there enjoying the fun of the crowd, in the spirit of a carnival, and having a great time of festivity;

    - there were those, who had made it from far places, merely to see if they can catch a glimpse of Jesus whom they heard so much of;

    - there were those, who had followed him right from Galilee, who were unable to leave his side because of the personality that he was;

    - there were those, who were so involved in his teachings, who found his words too precious to be missed;

    - there were those, who were an integral part of his life, they shared his everyday and shared his every dream;

    - there were those, who were there who were concerned about him, aware of the impending danger, but still wanted to be there for him...

How many different mindsets!

Now... just pause a while… and let us take a look within us… where do I find myself in this crowd today?

What is my mindset today... curiosity, boredom? monotony? Blind excitement? Let us remember that the week-long journey with the Lord is going to be a trying journey, a journey of sorts, a journey which is going to be a real challenge!

Among the crowd that we find around Jesus today, where do I find myself?

Life-giving death: new life, life to the full, eternal life!

Conversion – from death to life

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – SATURDAY FIFTH WEEK

March 28 – Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11: 45-56

Our Lenten journey of Listening and Fasting, as a time of Conversion, has practically reached its end… because from tomorrow we begin the Holy Week with the Passion Sunday. In fact, it is towards this week we have been preparing ourselves these past five weeks… the immediate objective of which is to contemplate the passion and death of the Lord. We would begin that with the solemn celebration of tomorrow…the palm Sunday, which is rightly also called the Passion Sunday.

What was the purpose of the passion…what did it achieve? Let us begin with that question: the first reading today answers that without hesitation – to bring everyone home and make them One People, the people of God. The discourse of the Shepherd returns, with Christ who offers himself to be that Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, that no one of them shall be lost.

God never forgets the covenant made – I shall be your God and you shall be my people! And hence, even when we the people distanced ourselves from God and turned our backs, God’s response was to send God’s only Son, who comes as the Shepherd who gathers the flock into one. How does he do it – through his death. That is why that was a life-giving death.

A death that gives new life, new life as people of God, the redeemed of God, the flock gathered unto God; a death that brings life to the full, a life in abundance, in spite of the shortcomings and fragilities that we face; a death that takes us to eternal life, a life in communion with the Lord of life who is eternal, thus making us eternal too!

We see this prophesied today in the Word – not by Ezekiel whom we listen to in the first reading, but the high priest who despised Jesus. It is he who declares that Jesus would be the “one man to die for the people”; that Jesus was to die to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. It is this death that has given us life – new life, fullness of life and eternal life… life-giving death.

We enter into a holy season tomorrow… as we walk towards that death, the death on the Cross, that life-giving death, that leads to eternal life; the death that makes us people of God, people of life!