GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ON PALM SUNDAY 1

 

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ON PALM SUNDAY I

1. THE PALMS USED ON PALM SUNDAY ARE SACRAMENTAL

The palms we receive on Palm Sunday are blessed objects or sacramentals that need to be treated reverently, not as toys, mere craft material or trash.

The Blessing of Palms

At the beginning of Mass on Palm Sunday, the palms are blessed with either of these prayers:

Almighty ever-living God, sanctify + these branches with your blessing, that we, who follow Christ the King in exultation, may reach the eternal Jerusalem through him. Who lives and reigns forever and ever...

OR

Increase the faith of those who place their hope in you, O God, and graciously hear the prayers of those who call on you that we, who today hold high these branches to hail Christ in his triumph, may bear fruit for you by good works accomplished in him. Who lives and reigns forever and ever... Amen.

After this blessing and the sprinkling of holy water, the palms are now sacramentals, or little sacraments. Every part of the palm is blessed, including the strings or thin threads that often find their way on the floor.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 1677 states that Sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the Church. They prepare men to receive the fruit of the sacraments and sanctify different circumstances of life. The 1983 Code of Canon Law (the present Canon Law we are using), Canon 1171 states that Sacred objects, which are designated for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated reverently and are not to be employed for profane or inappropriate use even if they are owned by private persons.

NOTE: Keep the pm frond with respect in your house or home. Do not play with it because it is a sacramental. Also, Palms or olive branches should not be kept as amulets, or for therapeutic or magical reasons to dispel evil spirits or to prevent the damage these cause in the fields or in the homes, all of which can assume a certain superstitious guise. But, Palms and olive branches are kept in the home as a witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory

This will leads into discussing the purpose of the Palms.

  

2. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE PALMS?

The Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy (no. 139) beautifully describes the significance of the palms. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday, which unites the royal splendour of Christ with the proclamation of his Passion. The procession, commemorating Christ's messianic entry into Jerusalem, is joyous and popular in character. The faithful usually keep palm or olive branches, or other greenery which have been blessed on Palm Sunday in their homes or in their work places. The faithful, however, should be instructed as to the meaning of this celebration so that they might grasp its significance. 

They should be opportunely reminded that the important thing is participation at the procession and not only the obtaining of palm or olive branches. Palms or olive branches should not be kept as amulets, or for therapeutic or magical reasons to dispel evil spirits or to prevent the damage these cause in the fields or in the homes, all of which can assume a certain superstitious guise. Palms and olive branches are kept in the home as a witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory.

In the following year, the dried leftover palms from this Palm Sunday will be burned to ashes. Those ashes will be signed on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.

So, next in the line of discussion is what we are to do with these palms.

3. WHAT TO DO WITH THE PALMS

There are cultural traditions, like palm weaving, that need to be treated with balance. Mass is not the appropriate place to craft an elaborate palm object. The crafting can happen at home. And maybe it would be better to use palms that are not blessed for testing out some weaving skills.

Other traditions, as The Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy mentions, are not appropriate, such as burning the palms for protection against storms, or using them in fields or gardens to protect them from storms or damage. After Palm Sunday the blessed palms, and all other worn or broken blessed sacramentals, do not belong in the trash can. Instead, they need to be either buried or burned. So this Palm Sunday, realize the blessed palm is a sacramental and not an object for sword play, not a weaving project to do during Mass, not something to pull apart and toss onto the floor, nor something that provides power or protection.

Palm Sunday Mass is not about obtaining the palm, but participating in the Mass commemorating the solemn entrance of Christ Jesus into Jerusalem, and the beginning of Holy Week and His Passion. The blessed palm is a witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory, a reminder of this commemoration.

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus

Updated on March 26 2023