THE PALM AND THE PASSION
A piece of palm, a story told,
Of Christ’s last days, both brave and bold.
We wave the palm, His triumph near,
“Blessed is He,” the crowd would cheer.
The palm, so small, we take it home,
A symbol of the days to come.
It hangs behind our cross with care,
A sign of love beyond compare.
Yet soon the story turns to pain,
A Passion that we can’t contain.
For suffering comes to every heart,
And death, for all, must play its part.
Jesus faced it, bold and true,
The cross before Him, suffering too.
In His example, we find the way,
To face our trials, day by day.
The palm and Passion, hand in hand,
Teach us what we must withstand.
For Christ’s own death, and what He gave,
Shows us the path beyond the grave.
By Medard Laz
Spend some time with Jesus this Palm Sunday. Share with him your fears, your worries, and what YOU are hoping He help YOU with in your life.
Tomorrow, Monday, March 30th I will have an operation in Ft. Lauderdale on my left knee. I have an infection there with the plate and screws that were inserted after I broke my left femur in 2020. Please remember me in your prayers…… Fr. Med Laz
My Commentary:
This poem captures one of the most profound movements in all of Christian life — the journey from celebration to sacrifice, from palm to Passion.
On Palm Sunday, the crowds cheered. They waved branches, shouted praise, and believed they understood who Jesus was. It was a moment of joy, of hope, of expectation fulfilled. Yet how quickly that same story turns. The palms we hold so lightly become the doorway into suffering we cannot avoid.
This poem does not allow us to stay in the comfort of the waving palms. It leads us forward — into the reality that faith is not only about triumph, but also about endurance. The Passion reminds us that love is proven not in applause, but in sacrifice.
Each of us carries both the palm and the Passion. We know moments of joy, recognition, and blessing. But we also encounter pain, loss, uncertainty, and the crosses we did not choose. The message is not that suffering disappears — but that it is transformed.
Jesus does not avoid the cross. He walks toward it. And in doing so, He shows us that suffering is not the end of the story. It is the passage through which redemption comes.
So the palm behind the cross is not just a decoration — it is a quiet testimony. It says: joy and sorrow belong together. It says: what begins in praise may pass through pain. And most importantly, it says: beyond the cross, there is life.
The palm and the Passion, held together, teach us how to live — and how to hope.
JESUS DIED FOR THE YOU THAT CRIES AT NIGHT AND WAKES UP TOO LATE FOR CHURCH AND MAKES MISTAKES AND GOES WEEKS WITHOUT THANKING HIM. DON’T FORGET THAT!
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Have a Blessed Holy Week!!
