Palm Sunday has become a day of praying for peace and attending peace rallies right across the globe. The origins of a Palm Sunday peace march, of course, go right back to that first Palm Sunday. On that day Jesus makes a ‘triumphant’ entry into Jerusalem while the crowds greet him with palm branches, symbolising victory, triumph and peace. There is an irony in naming the entry into Jerusalem ‘triumphant’ as entering Jerusalem on a donkey would have been in stark contrast to the real triumphant entries of the Roman rulers and procurators. These would have made military style entries to ensure that people knew who was in charge. Jesus, on the other hand, enters Jerusalem unarmed, without orchestrated fanfare and with no cavalry. Just a donkey. On that day, at that moment, the crowds were captured by him. Something about his teaching, preaching and healing had an impact on enough people that they gathered to hail him. On that day, at that moment, their hopes were high, that he would be a peace maker and liberator of the people. We know the story does not end well. Before long the crowd, egged on by those who found him intolerable, will be calling for his death by crucifixion. The account of Palm Sunday reminds us just how short lived and fragile peace can be.
Christians continue to commemorate Palm Sunday as a call to continue to pray, advocate and stand up for peace. We will do the same this year. At Camberwell, we will gather on the lawns outside the Basilica on Sunday (24 March) at 10.00 am with our brothers and sisters from St John’s Anglican Parish. Together we will bless the Palm Sunday palms. This ecumenical gathering is a reminder that we need to seek peace and unity among all Christians as a first sign of peace in the world. And from there we are called to hope, pray and work for peace at many levels. On Palm Sunday many of our parishioners join the Palm Sunday Walk for Justice. This walk, sponsored by the Victorian Council of Churches, promotes the rights of all, particular the rights of asylum seekers in Australia.
Beyond Australia, we will continue to pray for peace in the many war torn countries of the globe. Tragically, we are used to seeing Ukraine and Israel and Gaza in the headlines regularly, and we continue to pray for peace in those countries. There are also less publicised or forgotten wars continuing in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Mexico, Somalia, Libya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and the Kurdish-Turkey Conflict (Turkey, Iraq and Syria). These are all considered to be war-torn countries in 2024. We should also pray for them.
As we celebrate Palm Sunday this year, let’s bring the conflicts of the world before God, the source of peace and life. And let us pray, as we hold tight to the palms that symbolise peace, that God will send the Holy Spirit who can change human hearts. We could take for our prayer the following lines from the second eucharistic prayer for reconciliation.
“For though the human race is divided by dissension and discord, yet we know that by testing us you change our hearts to prepare them for reconciliation.
Even more, by your Spirit you move human hearts that enemies may speak to each other again, adversaries may join hands in friendship, and nations seek the way of peace together.
By the working of your power it comes about, O Lord, that hatred is overcome by love, revenge gives way to forgiveness, and discord is changed to mutual respect.”
Have a peaceful Palm Sunday.
By Fr Brendan Reed
Published: 22 March 2024
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