Palm Sunday services mark start of Holy Week

Blessing of palms: Father Paul Das (centre back) from Our Lady of Fatimah church in Brickfields beginning the Palm Sunday procession.

PETALING JAYA: Palm Sunday service was held at churches nationwide yesterday as Christians ushered in the Holy Week.

The morning mass held at the Church of Saint Francis Xavier here at 9am saw churchgoers assembling near Xavier Hall for the blessing of palms before joining a short procession into the church.

Palm Sunday, a significant day in the Christian calendar, marks the start of the Holy Week leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

It commemorates Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, while the crowd greeted Him as the Messiah.

Maundy Thursday falls on March 28 this year, followed by Good Friday on March 29, while Easter Vigil falls on Saturday (March 30).

In his address, Rev Father Richard Anthonysamy urged the congregation to reflect on the importance of Holy Week.

“The palms are an important reminder to us of life and how life too gives in and dies (making way) for a new birth.

“On Maundy Thursday, we will experience two other important symbols of the life of Christ, one that he institutes the Eucharist, and second, he shows us that it was not only about receiving the Lord through the Eucharist, but it had to be seen through the service of one another, hence the washing of each other’s feet,” he said.

He added that Good Friday focuses on the suffering and death of Jesus, and a symbolic action that takes place on that day is the veneration of the cross.

“Then, on Easter Vigil, we celebrate his resurrection. This is seen through a transition from complete darkness to light with the lighting of the Paschal Candle followed by the Easter Proclamation,” he said, adding that these were all important symbols to keep in mind throughout the Holy Week.