Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) (A) Apr 5, 2020

If we as the Church are truly to be the Body of Christ, then, standing at the foot of the cross, may we learn what it means to love and keep on loving; to serve and keep on serving.

If the world is ever to see real hope, may the Lord purify and transform our lives and stretch out our arms in loving forgiveness, with no exceptions and no small print, so that we shine as lights in the darkness.

If our workplaces and neighborhoods and homes are to display and respond to his values, then may the Lord make us more fervent in prayer, more courageous in self-discipline and, above all, more loving in reaching out to them.

If the terrible suffering of extreme poverty, injustice and oppression is to be addressed realistically, then may the Lord take away our greed and complacency and our assumptions about appropriate living standards, and teach us sacrificial self-giving of time, energy and resources.

Through the life-giving death of Jesus, may the dying turn to the Father and know his merciful love; may the grieving be comforted, and may we all one day share with those who have died the eternal joy of heaven.