Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Today the Church celebrates the Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. The assigned readings are Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2:6-11, and Matthew 26:14-27:66. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 22 (Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 22 "My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?" 

The Gospel reading at the Procession with Palms is as follows:

When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, 'The master has need of them.' Then he will send them at once." This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: "Say to daughter Zion, 'Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest."

And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, "Who is this?"

And the crowds replied, "This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee."

Reflections on these readings:

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Salesian Sunday Reflections: Palm/Passion Sunday (April 9, 2017)
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: The Passion of our Lord (April 9, 2017)

Community in Mission: See What the End Shall Be - Palm Sunday (8 APR 17) 

Aleteia: Deacon Greg Kandra: Our future in our hands: Homily for Palm Sunday (8 APR 17)
The Sacred Page: The Bipolar Crowds: Readings for Palm/Passion Sunday (5 APR 17)

The Sacred Page: Jesus Wept: Passion Sunday [Palm Sunday] (The Mass Readings Explained) (3 APR 17)

Word on Fire: Into the Cacophony of Sin (Feasts * Palm Sunday)

Catholic World Report: The Dispatch: Palm Sunday and the Holy Eucharist (8 APR 17) 

Spirituality of the Readings: The Man Who Would Be King (Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion A)

In Exile: The Passion of Jesus (Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion A)

Let the Scriptures Speak: In Accordance with the Scriptures (Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion A)

The Word Embodied: Betrayal (Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion A)

Historical Cultural Context: The Development of the Passion Story (Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion A)

Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary, Blessing of the Palms, by Gregory Palamas (Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion A)