Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, celebrated Palm Sunday Mass on April 13 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, urging the faithful to reflect not only on the events of Christ’s Passion, but to consider them through the eyes of Jesus himself.
The Mass for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion began outside the cathedral on a bright, sunlit morning. Parishioners gathered on the front steps for the blessing of palms and the commemoration of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem. Holding a bouquet of palms, red roses and carnations, Cardinal McElroy led the procession to the altar, preceded by a processional cross adorned with the same blooms.
“We have prepared our hearts by penance and charitable works,” Cardinal McElroy prayed during the opening rite. “Today we gather to herald with the whole Church the beginning of the celebration of the Lord’s Paschal Mystery.” As the congregation held their palm branches aloft, the Gospel was proclaimed from Luke’s account of Christ’s triumphant arrival to Jerusalem.
Inside the packed cathedral, the liturgy continued with incense rising from the altar and the voices of hundreds echoing off the mosaic walls during the Great Amen.
During his homily, Cardinal McElroy reflected on the breadth of the Passion narrative, which, he noted, occupies nearly a third of each Gospel. “It is in the events of this one week that we have been redeemed,” he said. “Christ won for each and every one of us our redemption from sin by his own sacrifice on our behalf.”
Referencing the Passion according to Luke (Luke 22:14–23:56), the cardinal encouraged those present to move beyond passive observation of the Gospel and instead to contemplate the Passion from within.
“St. Ignatius suggests to us another way to approach these mysteries: to think of each of these moments not as an observer of Christ... but rather to picture these events through the eyes of Jesus Christ himself, to think what he was undergoing at each of those moments,” Cardinal McElroy said.
He invited the congregation to consider what Jesus might have experienced as he entered Jerusalem to cries of “Hosanna” from crowds that misunderstood his kingship, or as he faced spiritual anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, where “his humanity was convulsed.”
“The humanity in him as well as his divinity... summons up the courage and says, ‘Father, if I must do this, I will,’” the cardinal said. “Think from inside Christ what that must have meant.”
Throughout the homily, Cardinal McElroy underscored the theme of abandonment. “Really, abandonment is the theme of the crucifixion,” he said, referencing the apostles’ flight, Peter’s denial, and Christ’s solitary walk toward the cross. “Fundamentally, he is walking alone – the walk of shame in Jerusalem.”
Yet, the cardinal reminded the faithful that Christ’s isolation was not the end of the story. “Jesus, who was abandoned so fundamentally and totally throughout his Passion, never abandons us,” he said.
During the Prayers of the Faithful, the congregation offered intercessions for the elect preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil, for the sick and those who suffer from injustice, violence and war, and for the faithful departed.
“Grant that we who welcome him with cries of joy, may accompany him on the way of the cross,” the cardinal prayed, “and so attain the joy of his resurrection.”
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Livestream to Cardinal McElroy's Palm Sunday Mass at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle:
Holy Week liturgies in the archdiocese
Cardinal McElroy will continue to preside over Holy Week liturgies at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. These include the Chrism Mass on Monday, April 14 at 2 p.m.; the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m.; Good Friday Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Friday April 18 at 1 p.m.; the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 19, at 8 p.m.; and Easter Sunday Masses on April 20 at 9 a.m. at the cathedral and noon at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
For livestream links and the full Holy Week schedule, visit www.adw.org.
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