Palm Sunday

Another Big Event Day at St Christopher's Church today....  that being Palm Sunday....  last Sunday before Christ's Crucifixion and the Sunday before Easter....    It is the Sunday that marks the beginning of the Holy Week, the week of events leading up to Jesus' death..... 

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Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The gospels record the arrival of Jesus riding into the city on a donkey, while the crowds spread their cloaks and palm branches on the street and shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" to honor him as their long-awaited Messiah and King. 

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Today in modern times, a somewhat reenactment of this takes place as each of us attendees, come with our very own Palm Branches that gets blessed over with Holy Water by the presiding priest...  in honour of the revered day.

 

I love attending and witnessing such events....  there is always a much more feeling of togetherness/oneness with the other churchgoers.... and what we do celebrate adds another sentimental touch to the services...

Palm Sunday 2012

Had a Beautiful Experience at today's Palm Sunday Mass Service at St. Christopher's Church....  a new Priest held the service...  he was much more livelier than the usual new priest...  and it was extra special to be able to experience the Blessing of the Palms once more... something I have not witnessed in a looong time....

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From WIKI:

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four canonical Gospels. (Mark 11:1–11, Matthew 21:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19).

In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers. The difficulty of procuring palms for that day's ceremonies in unfavorable climates for palms led to the substitution of boughs of box, yew, willow or other native trees. The Sunday was often designated by the names of these trees, as Yew Sunday or by the general term Branch Sunday.

Mama Mary

During the last trip to Manila, I got to stop in at the Church in Greenhills Shopping Center once more....  and it was an added BONUS that is was not too crowded....  I got to really look around and get up close to the Madonna and Child sculpture by the altar....   even from afar, it gives such as serene feeling....  soft colors, just the right touch of Golds to make it not GAUDY looking for my taste....  and the Virgin Mary's face is soooo soft and serene... so calming....  I could just stare at it for hours.... 

By far, IMHO, this is the Prettiest face sculpt of the Virgin Mary I have ever seen in all my travels....  and I have even been to The Vatican.

GOOD FRIDAY

The first thing I always get asked by non practicing Catholics when Good Friday rolls around is: "Why is it called Good Friday?" Especially when everyone knows that it is the day that Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and died... so to a lot, it would have mad more sense to call it, BAD FRIDAY....

well being the, "not such a good Catholic Boy that I am", I had to turn to the NET for the simplest explanations to give - and I think I got one - According to WikiAnswers (interesting):
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Good Friday is the day commemorating Jesus Christ's death on the cross, which is probably to be dated April 3, A.D. 33. In the liturgical calendar of the Western church, the Friday before Easter. The exact origins of the name are uncertain; some argue it stems from the use of "Good" as an adjective applied to the day, which is an Old English synonym for "holy." Others argue it is a corruption of the word "God", in the same way that "Good Bye" comes from the phrase "God be with ye".

Christians believe the day is "good" because the message of Easter is of Christ's victory over sin, death, and the devil; as the Apostle Paul wrote "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." It is believed that, in Jesus' death on the cross, He took once and for all the sins of all mankind upon Himself, in our place. "This gift He extends to everyone who will believe in Him. Believing in the Good News of the Gospel (Jesus, son of God, who died and was raised again) is our hope."

However, the term "Good Friday" is only used by Western Christians, and not by Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox refer to this sacred day as "Great and Holy Friday

GOOD FRIDAY to you all!