Palm Sunday

Maryknoll Fr. Dennis Moorman reflects on Jesus’s triumphal entry and the call to seek true peace within ourselves and the world.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the liturgical calendar for Christians around the world! On this day, we commemorate Jesus triumphantly entering into Jerusalem before his torture and death, culminating in his resurrection, which we call the Paschal Mystery, that which expresses the center of our Christian faith.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, when Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd of people waves tree branches and shouts: “Hosanna to the Son of David.  This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” Later in that same Gospel, the crowd shouts for Pilate to crucify Jesus and release Barabbas, a political revolutionary and insurrectionist, instead. We don’t actually know if this crowd was the same group of people or not, but this contrast certainly reflects the political polarization and dichotomy that is dividing so many families today, not only in our own country, but around the world. These divisions are exacerbated by people not being willing to enter into authentic dialogue and deeper listening with others. This is made worse by the new realities of artificial intelligence and social media, which are manipulated to produce “fake news,” such that no one really can be sure of what is “true” anymore. Such propaganda feeds people’s anger and fears, which further divide them and can lead to horrific violence and terrible wars, all of which we have so painfully witnessed in the past years. So much of what drives people’s irrational emotional reactions, whether political or otherwise, is an underlying fear of not feeling safe and secure. In my work with healing trauma, we learn that an important factor for healing is coming to find safety and serenity within oneself. How often does a parent comfort a child by saying, “Everything is going to be all right.”

In 2025, when Leo XIV was elected Pope, his first greeting was, “Peace be with all of you!” At each Mass, we offer one another this greeting of peace. This is the same greeting that the Risen Jesus gives to his friends when he appears to them in the Upper Room, where they are hiding in fear. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” Jesus promises a deeper and more transformative peace. In his 2026 message for the World Day of Peace, Pope Leo invites us to cultivate an “unarmed and disarming peace,” which is humble and persevering, and a gift that comes from God’s unconditional love. Pope Leo warns that when peace is treated as something remote or abstract, violence spreads in personal, social, and political life. Furthermore, he says that “we need a disarmament of the soul.  External disarmament is impossible without an interior disarmament of heart, mind, and life. ” In this light, Pope Leo speaks of a “revolution of peace. ” He calls on us to reject the irrationality of modern warfare and to pursue the “disarming path of diplomacy, mediation and international law. ” Just as Jesus told Peter in the garden: “Put your sword back; for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ” Pope Leo criticizes the global reliance on weapons and deterrence, arguing that true peace is built on trust, justice, and dialogue rather than fear and domination. The Pope calls religions to resist the temptation to justify violence or nationalism in God’s name and instead promote solidarity and reconciliation. For Pope Leo, this “disarmament of the soul” insists that peace begins in the human heart and requires a renewal of minds and attitudes.

During this Holy Week, may our hearts, minds, and souls be transformed and renewed in the spirit of Jesus and through the inspiration of the prophetic words of Pope Leo, so that we may truly become heralds of that ancient greeting spoken by our Risen Lord and Savior: “Peace be with you!”    

Maryknoll Father Dennis Moorman was ordained in 1998. He lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he minsters to people with depression and anxiety using methods of somatic therapy. This ministry has also taken him to 15 countries. 

Photo: Palm leaves, courtesy of vickholius nugroho, available in the public domain via Unsplash.