Palm Sunday: Standing at the Threshold of Holy Week

Sunday, 29 March 2026

Friends, today is Palm Sunday, the sixth and final Sunday of Lent as we enter into the mystery and contemplation of Jesus’s death and resurrection. It’s a day of extreme contrast: the cheering crowds of Jerusalem on one side, and the shadow of the Cross on the other.

And as Jesus enters the city not on a majestic horse, but on a donkey, we witness the clear and unmistakeable sign that His kingdom doesn’t look like anything anyone has imagined. It isn’t about glorification, rather, it’s about the emptying and humbling of self.

Today, in Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:6-11) we hear arguably one of the most beautiful pieces of scripture ever recorded, but it’s also one of the most challenging for our modern hearts. He tells us to have the “same mind” as Christ, who “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.”

In a world that tells us to fill ourselves up with more material things, more friends and followers, more opinions, and more noise – Jesus does the opposite. He gives it all away. He doesn’t cling to His status. He doesn’t demand His rights. He chooses humility, even when it leads to the Cross.

When I look at my own life, my neverending shopping bans and inevitable slip ups, the empty and pointless scrolling, the wishlists and daydreams, I can see how much of my energy goes into building a version of myself.

But Palm Sunday asks us: what are you willing to lay down? Humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself; it’s about thinking of yourself less. It’s being so present to the person in front of you (or the God above you) that you forget to check your messages or notifications. It’s the grace to say, “The world does not need my ego today; it needs my service.”

As we move deeper into this week, I’m trying to walk a little more humbly, submitting myself to the Holy Spirit, praying for the gifts of surrender, trust, and true faith. And while this week doesn’t need to be about adding more to our list, there’s definitely an invitation to empty ourselves in order to make more space for God, for Jesus and the Passion of the Cross. There are so many powerful and moving Masses that are only available this week, it would be a shame not to make it a priority to go along to at least one of them, especially if you haven’t previously.

Friends, I wish one thing for you this Holy Week: invite the Holy Spirit in, surrender your open heart and follow, with trust, wherever it takes you.