Your Sunday Sermon Notes – Palm Sunday 2023

It is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Sunday Mass of obligation?

Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass. I hear that it is growing. Of COURSE.

Did you have a procession with palms or olive branches?

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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15 Comments

  1. FrankWalshingham says:

    Procession with palms at Assumption Grotto for the 9:30AM Tridentine High Mass.
    It was a real pleasure to hear three priests who are all excellent Latin linguists flawlessly chant the Passion according to St. Matthew. A wonderful liturgy!

  2. Phil B says:

    This is Pittsburgh. The pastor at the ICKSP parish preached today on the importance of the virtue of perseverance, as exemplified in Christ’s passion, in order to overcome our vices and weaknesses and attain holiness and heaven. He emphasized that we must ask for this continually in prayer. Attendance at both services – 8 am (low) and 10 am (solemn high) – was robust. We arrived at 9:20 am as the early mass was beginning to let out to find the parking lot full as a tick – no available spaces – and we had to park out on the street quite a distance from the church. This being Palm Sunday, the high mass included the blessing of the palms, the procession around the church (with the awesome moment when the subdeacon pounds on the church door with the cross, symbolizing Christ opening the long-shut heavenly gates) and then the mass proper, which included the chanting of the full passion account from Matthew; all in all, over three hours, which didn’t make the slightest dent in the attendance. There is something deeply moving about communion lines flowing forward, seemingly without end. Thanks be to God!

  3. Kevin Ryan says:

    We went to Mass this morning at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey. There was a procession with olive branches and palms. It was packed.

  4. Kathleen10 says:

    Phil B, I think people going up for communion seem like they are walking into heaven, I think of that often at that time. There is something about it.
    Our Palm Sunday Mass had a procession, no door knocking, but it would have been great if there was! Father spoke about this Holy Week, and even if it hasn’t been what we wish it was it is not too late, to take this week and make it a Holy Week by participating fully, go to Confession, Stations of the Cross, etc.

  5. JT says:

    The TLM at St. John the Baptist Church in Corpus Christi was packed today. Included a procession.

    Bittersweet day as the Bishop has cancelled the TLM in following the Vatican’s directive. Easter Sunday Mass will be the last TLM at the parish.

    The SSPX celebrates Mass once a month at a local hotel. I’m looking forward to attending.

    May God restore the Church soon.

  6. Orual says:

    Church was packed at our diocesan TLM with the blessing of palms, which were distributed at the altar rail, and a lovely procession around the church. Father encouraged us not to slack off in our Lenten practices as we enter Holy Week, to increase our prayer and spend less time busying ourselves with worldly things.

  7. OssaSola says:

    We learned that our last two Latin Masses would be today and Easter and that our priest would be leaving the Diocese. There was a procession with palms.

    Accordingly, Father made room for a wedding before Mass so that the couple could still have a Latin ceremony. He allowed them to move it up a couple weeks to make the deadline.

    Then he spoke about the donkey which our Lord rode into Jerusalem. About she had no idea why she was being pressed into service or what role she played in her Creator’s life. But that she had served Gods’s Will for a time. Perhaps the decade our priest had put into reviving our now cancelled Latin Mass was to be seen like that, as having served our Lord for a time, with unimaginable effects that we’ll never know. He told us to love and pray for whomever our new priest is and to keep our focus on Holy Week and to stay in the Church. It was painful and we are left not knowing why or to where he is leaving; we’ve lost both the TLM and our pastor. At my age, I’ve seen the TLM be cancelled twice now…

  8. Imrahil says:

    I was at our local TLM where I usually attend. We had an interesting combination of 1962 rite with a couple of 1954 elements (we used to have an indult, but it apparently expired, and probably rightly it is not considered expedient to press the issue in the present situation).

    We had a procession with a lot of palms (provided for by the Church) and, per local custom, willow-branches (brought by the people).

    No sermon, because it’s at least the local custom not to have a sermon on Palm Sunday except when the bishop pontificates. I am rather surprised at people hearing so many sermons on Palm Sunday. And, I do think that it’s not only that the solemn Mass is admittedly very long (though without the missa sicca and with the abbreviated Passion – we did have the Altera autem die Gospel, though – we were done in less than two hours, the ceremonies do have their charm, and success, in sinking in by themselves.

  9. DCLex says:

    SSPX on Pascha Floridum blessed the palms, large crowd processed, choirs on both sides opened the church with Hymns, Passion and Gospel from one priest sung in three voices, and the “Altera autem die” chant was the most reverent and haunting of it all.

  10. sevensixtwo187 says:

    Phil B.
    I was there and you described it perfectly. Was worth every minute of the 3+ hours.

  11. ajf1984 says:

    Novus Ordo “reform of the reform”-style Mass, better attended than a typical Sunday. Blessing of palms in the narthex, at which just about everybody emptied the pews and participated. Gospel of the Passion read without “the People” participating (which I often find to be distracting anyway, since there are usually never enough booklets and the responses don’t always align with what’s in my MTF Missal or iBreviary!). Our associate pastor preached on the significance of how swiftly “public opinion” turned on Christ, reminded us of the original meaning of “Hosanna” and that it’s not simply an expression of praise but a request for salvation. Beautiful Eucharistic procession from our parish to our sister parish about 3 miles away, for which 3 of my boys were servers and a few of our seminarians were also assisting.

    These processions have been wonderful for the community: we travel down two of the busiest streets in our community so plenty of visibility. There’s always a good number of people who, while not able to walk with us, drive down the route a few blocks, park, adore, and then go a little further along the route and repeat the process.

  12. Titus says:

    Packed TLM. Father did not prolong the ’54 with a sermon.

  13. JGavin says:

    Attended TLM, pre 1955 rite at ICKSP oratory, St Cyril and Methodius. It was wonderful. No homily, the last part of the passion was chanted. It was wonderful.
    It was not packed, however a lot of babies. We had a procession. The distribution of the palms by the celebrant, kissing the palm and the celebrant’s hand. I am struck by the appropriateness of violet as the color for the day. It was wonderful.
    The schola was great.

  14. Gregg the Obscure says:

    Archbishop – as usual – acquitted himself very well. He quoted St. Andrew of Crete “let us not lay down mere branches and garments, but our very selves prostrate before Him” (i later found out that was in the Breviary for the day). He then gave a cogent precis of each of the seven words from the cross with special attention to “Behold your Mother” and “I thirst”. Our Lord and our Lady have love for us that we cannot begin to comprehend. we need only ask in humility.

  15. JRodz1 says:

    Attended Palm Sunday TLM, with an announcement; that, next week, Easter would be the last Mass at Church alter. TLM will now go underground. Bishop supportive of TLM; but, needs to follow Vatican confusion. Although we made it through the Wuhan Virus, apparently TLM is the Easter sacrifice (as well as the initial, announcement release last Christmas) that we are suppose to accept. I will continue to attend TLM and pray for the intentions of Pope Francis, Cardinals and Bishops in regards to allowing TLM its rightful place of worship at a blessed alter & Church.

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