Sunday, 13th April, 2025 was Palm Sunday. It was a day which marked the beginning of the passion week of our Lord Jesus Christ. On this day, over two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ made His triumphant entry to Jerusalem ridding a Donkey, with the crowd shouting "Hossanah" and spreading their clothes with palm and olive branches on their hands.

All over the world, Palm Sunday is celebrated with congregations gathering at a designated place and proceed with palm fronds, singing and dancing while acknowledging the Kingship of Christ.

At St. Mary Cathedral, parishioners gathered to celebrate this day with procession from Adamasingba to the Cathedral at Oke-Padi, holding palm fronds and rejoicing with praises and hymns.

Archbishop Gabriel 'Leke Abegunrin, the Chief Celebrant, encouraged the people to make Christ their focus this Holy Week. He urged Catholics to always pray through Christ our Lord, and stop following the ways and modes of prayers imported from other denominations. "Dearly beloved in Christ, as Catholics, others should learn from us, not the other way round. So many times, we have embraced the mode of prayers of other denominations and neglected the original way of our prayers. For instance, I saw someone praying inside the Chapel and rubbing his hands on his face. Also, most times when we pray, instead of ending with 'through Christ our Lord,' we end with 'in Jesus name we pray'. Let this Holy Week we are beginning today re-awaken our focus on Christ. Let us wake up as Catholics to re-establish our sweet traditions and stop embracing imported systems of worship from outside," he said.

Earlier, in his homily, the Cathedral Administrator, Very Rev. Fr. Julius Akinyode described the Palm Sunday as the beginning of the end of Christ's earthly ministry. "Today's liturgy combines victory and defeat. Praises and condemnations. Catholics must embark on this spiritual journey with Christ from Jerusalem to the Upper room, Getsemane, Hanna and Caiphas' Courtyard, Pilate's Courtyard, Streets of Jerusalem and Golgota where Jesus Christ is crucified. Since the beginning of the year, we have seen a Jesus who does wonders and signs. Today, in the passion reading, this same Jesus lamented like everyone saying 'my God, why have you forsaken me?," he said.

Speaking further, Fr Akinyode described some characters which featured in the passion reading. He described the Apostles as a unique character who are only interested in their benefits, not in the suffering of Christ. "The Apostles, instead of being concerned when Christ told them He will be betrayed by one of them, they were disputing about who will replace Him when He's gone. Many of us are like the apostles who are insensitive to the pains of our loved ones, especially when they needed our comforts and consolations. Judas portrayed the character of a true betrayal. There are lots of us who have betrayed our friends and family members for mere financial and material rewards. We are like Judas and the end of such people is always catastrophic.

Pilate is a character of someone who knows the truth, but finds it difficult to defend his position. Sometimes we are neither here nor there, despite the fact that we know the truth. Let us not allow fear of what the people will say to change our position about being truthful.

The Thief on the left side is a perfect character of those who never see their faults, but only see the faults of others. They always blame others for their misfortunes and don't see their own faults at all. The crowd are those who will sing the praises of someone in his/her presence, but behind, they will plot to destroy and bring the person down. Today, they are shouting 'Hossanah', by Friday they will be shouting 'Crucify him'," he concluded.

 

The Mass witnessed the return of four parishioners to the reception of Holy Communion, while the Assistant Cathedral Administrator, Rev. Fr. Gabriel Azeez was also in attendance.