Homily on Luke 19:28–40, Palm Sunday

 Homily on Luke 19:28-40: Palm Sunday

( Sunday, the 13th of April 2025)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

Once, there was a terrible flood in a small and remote village, and a rescue team was moving around in a boat to save people.  As they were passing they noticed something strange; a mother dog was sitting on a branch of a tree barking over and over again.

The rescue team got closer to the dog to save it, and then they saw a heart touching scene; the mother dog had kept four of her puppies in one of the holes of the tree. The puppies were fully wet, cold, and shaking. The mother dog did not have any more strength to swim, so she was calling out for help, not for herself, but for her little ones.

The team softly kept the puppies into a basket, and one of them looked at the mother dog and said gently, “You’ve done all you could, mama and now we will take care of you.” As they went away in the boat, the mother dog, though exhausted waved her tail as a sign of her thanks.

This, my dear brothers and sisters, is what Hosanna means. It might sound like a happy welcome. However, the word Hosanna actually means something deeper. It means, “Lord, save us now.”

The people  of Israel, were tired and struggling under the rule of foreigners; they were living under Roman rule, carrying the burden of heavy taxes, and feeling spiritually dry. Deep within their hearts, they were longing for someone to bring them peace and hope. And when they saw Jesus, coming on a simple donkey, they saw a King unlike any other. A humble King, a peaceful one and their hearts cried out, “Hosanna! Save us, Son of David.”

 Seeing Jesus coming on a donkey they remembered what the prophet Zechariah prophesied centuries ago: “Rejoice, Jerusalem! Your King is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey.”  And they believed that those words of prophet Zachariah were coming true right in front of their eyes.

And what about us today? We too must cry out, “Hosanna,” Not just with palm leaves in our hands, but with prayers from our hearts.

Let us cry out Hosanna when we feel our families are breaking due to arguments, misunderstandings, and lack of forgiveness.
Let us cry Hosanna when mobile addiction is stealing away our time with each other and with God.
Let us cry Hosanna when young people are losing their way, when prayer is forgotten, and faith grows cold.
Let us cry Hosanna when sickness enters our homes, when poverty strikes, when peace disappears.

Palm Sunday reminds us of one more important truth. While the people were shouting Hosanna and waving palms, Jesus was not carried away by their praise. He didn’t enter the city to become a king of power. He entered to die; to carry the cross and fulfill His mission of love.

This is a big lesson for us. Sometimes people may praise us and sometimes they may reject us. Sometimes they will say good things, and sometimes they may insult us. But like Jesus, we must not look at the crowd. We must keep walking towards our mission. If you are a husband, be faithful. If you are a wife, be loving. If you are a student, be honest. If you are a priest or religious, be true to your calling. Do not live for applause but live for your purpose.

Let us raise our prayers to the Lord when things go wrong; love your husband not only when he is rich, but also when he is weak and sick. Love your wife not only when she is beautiful, but when she is tired and hurting. Love your children not only when they are doing well, but also when they go astray. That is real Hosanna; calling on the Lord to save our love, save our unity, and save our mission.

 So, Palm Sunday is not just about waving leaves but it’s about lifting our hearts. Let every palm, that we hold in our hand, become a prayer in our mouth, “Hosanna, Lord Jesus… save us now.”

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God Bless…