THE PALM SUNDAY!

This is the commemoration of the entrance of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, into Jerusalem where palm branches were laid down on his paths as his steed trotted along amidst ovation, shouts of jubilation and triumph. Mankind seemed to have recognized the Son of God as a King even though his father was a carpenter and his mother a modest woman in a community in Nazareth. Everywhere people raised their palms, a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life, in honor of the Son of David whom they intuitively perceived to be a divine envoy. At every street corner, “Hosanna,” filled the air and echoed beyond the holy city. Then just four days after this exultant, magnificent reception, Jesus was arrested like a common criminal!

He was arrested just four days after, a day popularly referred as Holy Thursday? One who was revered as a king was suddenly being dragged along the streets amid derision, scorn and jeering from the same people who rained Hosanna upon him. One wonders, how could such be possible? What was actually wrong that the same crowd that poured encomium to a point of adulation reversed 360 to despisement and sneer? What could have resulted to this behavior if not hypocrisy and pietism of a herd mentality?

For 2000 years, the Church celebrated this disgrace as a feast, a repetition and a reminder of our collective shame. All over the world, we had held up palm branches in different churches and Cathedrals, and shouted the same “Hosanna” as before. We congregated and in the Jerusalem of our Churches and called Jesus Christ, the king of kings and hours later, on the street, in our households and daily life, away from this Jerusalem, we turned and arrested him. We turned and became evil by transgressing the laws of his Father, and squared up against the Light that only meant to bring us freedom and peace.

We have repeated this Palm Sunday to the point that we concluded that it is right and normal as a celebration. But God is not mocked! That billions of people see this commemoration as a great tradition does not make it so. The commemoration is where we exposed our falsehood and lip-service to God. We show how unreliable creatures we are, who called Jesus a King and criminal at the same time. We show how we are incapable of holding up our faith beyond Churches and Cathedrals; how our daily lives are contradictions to our faith profession.

Today on a Palm Sunday, all over the world, the Churches and Cathedrals are empty, a sign that shows the rejection of our lip-service to God. The pews are empty of hypocrites and pretenders who normally gather to be fed with empty phrases as gospel. Everywhere you encounter these Churches; it is like a sepulcher where sorrows and grief are entertained. Mankind is pursued away from these scenes of mockery in other to inform them that their noise with palms today is a disgrace.

Anyone who thinks that there is no guidance in life and things happen by accident has not started thinking. Anyone who looks at the disruption of this Palm Sunday where the so-called faithful are hiding indoors because an angel of death is roaming the streets will need to re-examine his head for sanity. Anyone who does not see how superfluous celebration of this Palm Sunday is rendered shows how superficial he is with serious issues.

Today, Mankind’s lip-service is rejected and it is a sign that Jesus Christ doesn’t want those who call “Father, Father,” but those who do the will of his Father.  In the coming new times, true Palm Sunday will arise from the ashes of the Churches and Cathedrals and “Hosanna” will loud from the mouth of true humanity, who will lay their palms on the paths of the Son of Man, in flesh and blood, to the glory of God, the Father of Universe! Amen!