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Kemmannu, March 29, 2015: As a prelude to the holy week, Kemmannu parishioners took part in the celebration of Palm Sunday. The palm leaves were blessed at the convent ground in the morning. Parish Priest Fr. Ferdinand Gonsalves along with Fr. Herald Pereira led the brief prayers before the blessing. Holy water was sprinkled on the palm leaves and people proceeded to the church in a disciplined procession.

 On Palm Sunday Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. For many Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred to as "Passion Sunday," marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.

The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him by waiving palm branches  and covering his path with palm branches. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus, he begins his journey to the cross.

In the holy week that follows, in Kemmannu Church Thursday’s service will begin at 5 pm and 3 pm on Friday. Easter celebratory mass shall be held at 7 pm on Saturday evening.

Palm/Passion Sunday

Palm Sunday is the commemoration of our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem five days before His crucifixion. Scripture records this incident in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1- 11, Luke 19:29-44, and John 12:12-19. This day takes it’s name from the fact that as Jesus approached Jerusalem on a donkey (in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9), the huge crowd that followed carried palm branches as they praised Him. The people hailed Him as the long awaited "Son of David," that is, the Messiah.

Though not annually observed at first, by 600-1000 a.d. Palm Sunday was being given full treatment, especially by Christians aligned with Rome.1 This treatment was part of a growing emphasis at the time to imitate as closely as possible the last days of Christ’s life.

Palm Sunday has a dual focus today. Our service begins with a joyful procession with palms to remember our Lord’s jubilant entry into Jerusalem. The hymns, prayers, and lectionary Scripture readings also reflect this joy. A second focus on Palm Sunday is our Lord’s Passion. When this second focus is observed, the entire passion story (Matthew, Mark, or Luke) is read (in place of the sermon). 

Originally, however, Passion Sunday was held two weeks before Easter (since the ninth century) and it began the two week period known as "Passiontide" in which special stress was placed on Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. Actually, the two week Passiontide is older than Lent, having been observed since the third century. 2