Joyous feast!
In the troparion for this two-day Feast of Palms, we sing: “By raising Lazarus from the dead before thy Passion, thou didst confirm the universal resurrection, O Christ. Like the children with the palms of victory, we therefore cry to thee, O Vanquisher of death.” Even as Christ goes to his Passion, we children of the Church already recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate the power of his Paschal victory. This is important to bear in mind during the coming week. Holy Week is not about historical commemoration, but about our own encounter with Christ’s saving work, work that was finished on the Cross and manifest in the Resurrection, but which continues to transform lives and hearts. May God grant us the grace to open our hearts to him throughout the coming days.