Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins.

This Palm Sunday commemorates the Catholic Church’s traditional observance, recalling the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago and marking the beginning of Holy Week.

Bishop Manuel Ruiz of the Stella Maris Diocese commemorates this event, calling on Dominicans to participate in the mystery of Holy Week and experience the Passion of Jesus through love and prayer. He warns that the ills plaguing society stem from the absence of God in people’s hearts. The philosopher and religious leader notes that on Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ was greeted by the people with the phrases “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Hosanna in the highest!” This occurred in the spring of the year 30 or 33 AD.

Ruiz explains that Jesus was received as king, with palm branches and all kinds of offerings; they draped the stones with cloths, and the importance of that day is that it opens the door to Holy Week. “This Sunday is also called Passion Sunday, because the liturgy of that day commemorates the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, reminding us that Jesus suffered on the cross and died for us,” comments the bishop and Doctor of Humanities. At the end of Holy Week comes the resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God.

This Sunday, the liturgy takes place outside the temples, with a procession through the streets, before the mass.

The palms are blessed; in some churches, the event is dramatized in the sanctuary, and its symbolism is explained. The Gospel reading of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is read. The priests wear red in remembrance of Jesus’ martyrdom.