Palm Sunday

We went to Palm Sunday Mass last night. As we went into the Church, we picked up the palms and took them to our pew. The Mass proceeded and Father entered from the back of the Church and read the gospel. It is very long at Easter time...and many people were shifting from one leg to another waiting for him to finish the 5 pages. Some sat during the reading. I was waiting for a mention of the palms that we had just picked up....but nothing was said. In the past, the palms were raised by the congregation and the palms were acknowledged....sometimes they were blessed at that time. Now they are blessed before the Mass. We have a fairly new Priest and Priests are all different and do things their way. We've had 4 Priests at this Church since I joined 10 yrs ago. We have had to adapt to all their different ways. It seems we just get used to one and we are given another.
I was on the arts and environment committee until last year and I remember picking up the palms at our local grocery store (the grocer was a member of our Church)  They kept them in cold storage until time for us to use them. We would use them to make arrangements for the Altar. I really loved working with them. They would sometimes turn brown before Easter if we weren't careful. Door arrangements were made too.
I remember the picture of gentle Jesus riding a donkey coming into Jerusalem with palms decorating the street....this picture was in all of my Sunday School rooms...when I was little.
Joe remembers getting a whole palm branch, when he was a boy. Now days we only give each member a piece of the branch.
Before joining the Catholic Church, I was a Methodist. I remember Palm Sundays in the past. One year the school kids formed a line on each side of the walk and made an archway...using the palm branches for people to walk under.
Another year the path was strewn with palm branches for us to walk on.
One year we had a palm weaving class and made crosses and flowers out of the palms.
We bring the palms home and put them behind our picture of Pope John Paul in the breakfast nook. They are kept there until just before Ash Wednesday...when they are burned for the ashes.
I guess it doesn't matter how this day is celebrated. It is the beginning of Holy Week and symbolizes the entrance into Jerusalem by Jesus. A joyous occasion....leading up to his Crucifixion.There are many special things coming up in our Church this week. Easter is a day to look forward to....be it sunny or rainy. Jesus rose from the dead...he is the Light of the world.
Balisha