Palm Sunday Prayer

Lord, you set your face towards Jerusalem and walked alongside those who suffer.
Be our vision that we too may walk the way of the cross and extend a hand to those we meet.

You stopped to heal the sick, cure the lame and give sight to the blind.
Be our vision that we too may give time to others and respond to their needs.

You said, "The first shall be last and the last first." 
Be our vision that we too may work towards your kingdom when the exalted will be brought low and the lowly exalted.

You ate with tax collectors and sinners and heard their stories.
Be our vision that we too may listen to the despised and rejected and value their lives.

You took time to pray and time to be silent.

Be our vision that through our prayers, fasting and almsgiving we too may draw closer to you and find your way.

Lord, you entered Jerusalem with peace in your heart.
Be our vision that we too may desire peace where others desire war.

Annabel Shilson-Thomas

“Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the period in which we commemorate the last days of Jesus, his final meal with his friends, his trial, his carrying of the cross, his death on Calvary and his rising from the dead. On Palm Sunday, branches are blessed as a reminder of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as a celebrity. His entry into the city was in stark contrast to the way he left on the following Friday.

The fact that Jesus was hailed as a king while he rode a donkey says a lot about Jesus’ attitude to power. The notice on his cross identified him as a king. Pilate’s words were meant to be ironic but Christians have come to understand that, for Jesus, power and authority are inseparable from humility and suffering. The branches blessed on Sunday are burnt to provide ashes for Ash Wednesday next year: the life a faith is a cycle. As we prepare to celebrate Easter, we are already thinking about the beginning of the next Lent. Lent and Easter, grief and joy, hard times and good times, walk hand in hand in every life of faith.”

Michael McGirr: Finding God’s Traces