CHARLOTTE — As the crowds accompanied Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, we too can accompany Jesus, Bishop Peter Jugis preached at the start of Holy Week March 28.
Before a limited-capacity congregation at St. Patrick Cathedral, Bishop Jugis celebrated Palm Sunday Mass – the liturgy that begins by describing Jesus entering Jerusalem among a jubilant crowd and ends by recounting the crowd calling for His crucifixion and jeering Him as He died.
This year’s celebration stood in marked contrast to Palm Sunday one year ago, when churches were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and worship services were curtailed and held with no worshipers present.
This year, churches across the Diocese of Charlotte are open with capacity limits and health precautions in place, and priests are encouraging people to look with hope to a season of renewal after a painful year.
At St. Patrick Cathedral, the Palm Sunday liturgy began with the bishop blessing palm branches and leading a procession from the Marian grotto into the cathedral.
As he looked out over the limited crowd gathered around the grotto, Bishop Jugis smiled and noted that Jesus was present.
“We know that He is with us here, because He says wherever two or three gather in His name, there He is in their midst,” he said.
“We ask that the Lord Jesus, who is now with us, also accompany us as we make our way into the church with this procession, and that we in our hearts also accompany the Lord,” he said.
Later during his homily, Bishop Jugis encouraged people to draw closer to Christ this Holy Week and to acknowledge our sins and the forgiveness that Jesus brings through sacrifice on the cross.
The Passion Gospel, which is read at the Palm Sunday Mass, recounts Jesus’ Passion – from the Last Supper to His Agony in the Garden, to His arrest and trial, and finally to His crucifixion and burial.
The story serves to remind us of Jesus’ mission of salvation, Bishop Jugis noted.
“We see here, in this Gospel reading today, the exact explanation of why Jesus has come … to make of Himself an offering for the forgiveness of our sins,” he said. “He offers Himself as the sacrifice for our sins, for all of our sins against God, for all of our sins against our neighbor; sins of thought, word and deed.”
“We are all able to relate to this Gospel, and to the love our Blessed Lord shows us by offering His life, for we all have experience of sin – children of Adam and Eve that we are,” he said.
Quoting from Isaiah Chapter 53, the bishop said, “It was our infirmities that He bore, our sufferings that He endured. … He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Through His suffering, my servant shall justify many and their guilt He shall bear. He shall take away the sins of many and win pardon for their offenses.”
The commemoration of Jesus’ Passion and death leads us inexorably to His resurrection at Easter, he said, and to the hope of heaven and eternal life with God.
“There is no hope without this gift of Jesus Christ, the gift of Himself,” he said. “Jesus is our hope!”
“As we approach the celebration of the sacred Easter Triduum – which is the feast of our salvation, the most important feast day of the whole year (and) of entire history – with humble and grateful hearts, let us direct our love and all of our attention to Jesus, our Savior,” the bishop concluded.
Holy Week and Easter services will continue with livestreams on the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/dioceseofcharlotte, as follows:
- Chrism Mass – March 30 at 10 a.m.
- Mass of the Lord’s Supper – April 1 at 7 p.m.
- Good Friday – April 2 at 3 p.m.
- Easter Vigil – April 3 at 8 p.m.
St. Patrick Cathedral will livestream Easter Sunday Mass April 4 starting at 11 a.m. on its YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/StPatricksCathedralNC.
Go online to www.stpatricks.org for details.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor