For me, Palm Sunday is a bittersweet Sunday.

As a child, I always looked forward to singing ‘Hosana, Tu reinaras, na Cruz tu nos salvaras’ (Hosana, you will reign, on the cross you will save us). As children and even as adults we wave our palm branches as the priests make their procession into the church – it’s a beautiful moment that is transformed into moments of pain, betrayal, and sorrow as we contemplate the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today marks the start of Holy Week. During this Lenten Season, we have fasted and prayed. Additionally, we have had a lot to reflect on – not only in our personal lives but also in the world we all live in today.

This year, over 60 countries worldwide are and will be having elections. It is a decisive moment for many nations around the world.

As Catholics, we are faced with a similar situation. Since October 2021 the Catholic Church has embarked on the Synodal journey – a time to dialogue, reflect, and above all to listen and pray.

It’s almost like a Lenten journey, as we are encouraged to pray and to listen to Holy Spirit – pray for wisdom, for discernment.

As Fr. Timothy Radcliff said during the Synod retreat in September/October 2023 –  “Today our God is already bringing into existence a Church which is no longer primarily Western: a Church which is Eastern Catholic, and Asian and African and Latin American. It is a Church in which already women are assuming responsibility and are renewing our theology and spirituality. What is God doing? Do we accept God’s gracious newness?”

As we celebrate Palm Sunday and enter the Holy Week and Easter Triduum – let us call on the Holy Spirit to continue to guide us. That we may become a Church that is welcoming and above all – a Church that listens more.

Today’s readings reflect on how Jesus was loved by many, but at the same time, he was betrayed by the very same people who pledged their love and faithfulness to him – just as we see today with the reaction of some toward the Holy Father. The same crowd that welcomed Jesus singing ‘Hosana’ then shouted out loud ‘crucify’ him.

As we enter Holy Week, let us remember the ‘Merciful Father’ and may we learn to forgive – starting with us as individuals, as we cannot forgive others if we have not learned to forgive ourselves – and for me, this can be achieved through prayer and honest conversations with God.

So many have been wounded and suffered in silence. The Synodal Church invites us to journey together and listen more. This new way of being a Church encourages us to be a welcoming Church, a Church that trusts in God.

In a world ruled by materialism, we often find ourselves being so consumed with our ordinary lives, and with meeting deadlines that we forget our Spiritual well-being.

May this Holy Week be a season of deep reflection on the Church we want, a season of more conversations in the Spirit, a season of prayer and listening, and a season of open dialogue with one another.

May we draw closer to God and put him at the center of our lives. Lastly, we are an Easter people: may we strive to be more and more like Jesus, and like the Synod on Synodality – may the Holy Spirit be the protagonist in all we do.