PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD, MARK 11:1-10, MARCH 24, 2024
1. STORY
Mary had a pet sheep called Mo Mo. One day Mary and Mo Mo went into town which
was 16 miles from home to buy medicine needed to control her high blood
pressure. After purchasing the medicine,
Mary drove home only to realize that she had forgotten to take the medicine
from the store. At home, she fainted due
to the lack of medicine she needed. Her
young children realized the problem and tried to have Mo Mo push the small
wagon to get the medicine. Mo Mo sensed
the problem but was unable to push the wagon. Mo Mo then ran for two hours back to the store
when the owner realized the problem. He
drove his car to return the medicine to Mary. Mo Mo was so exhausted that he died saving his
owner. Jesus died to save us.
2. GOSPEL, MARK 11:1-10
A. JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM.
After his long trip from Galilee, Jesus arrived at the gates of Jerusalem. He instructed his disciples to prepare a young donkey for him to ride as he entered the city. The gospel states: “So they brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it.”
B. THE PEOPLE WELCOME JESUS.
The people welcomed Jesus into the city crying out “Hosanna! Blessed is
he who comes in the name of the Lord!” At
that time, the people did not know that this entry into the city was the
beginning of his journey to the cross to save us.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A. JESUS COMES INTO OUR LIVES.
Jesus comes into our lives in many ways because he loves us and cares
for us. Here are four ways he comes to
us.
i) He comes to us when we pray to him.
ii) He comes when we receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist
and go to confession.
iii) He comes to us when we read the bible and other spiritual books.
iv) He comes to us through people such as our parents, our bishop and our teachers.
B. WE WELCOME JESUS.
Just as the people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, so too do we welcome Jesus into our hearts. The palm we use has three meanings:
i) It is a sign that we welcome Jesus into our lives. We listen to him, follow his commandments and
receive his help.
ii) It is a sign of victory. With
the help of Jesus, we resist the temptations in our lives and gain eternal
life.
iii) It is a sign of love. We
love Jesus who died to save us.
4. CONCLUSION
Mo Mo the sheep so loved the owner that he gave his life to save her. Jesus so loves us that he gave his life to
save us. The palm we hold reminds us
that we welcome him into our lives, we are victorious through his help, and we
love him as our savior. We thank Jesus
for his love and ask him to help us to have our hearts open to this love, to
his saving word, and to his power to save us.
