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Determine who is leading and reading and make sure to get familiar with the template before beginning. When everyone is ready, start with the procession.

The Solemn Procession
When you are ready to begin, all household members should go outside of the home if possible so that you may enter through the front door following the reading of the first Gospel. If going outside your home is not possible, perhaps start in one room and cross into the main meeting space of your home during the procession (example: start in your hallway and process into the living room). 

All: Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Hosanna in the highest.

Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

Leader: Dear brothers and sisters, since the beginning of Lent until now we have prepared our hearts by penance and charitable works. Today we gather together to herald with the whole Church the beginning of the celebration of our Lord’s Paschal Mystery, that is to say, of his Passion and Resurrection. For it was to accomplish this mystery that he entered his own city of Jerusalem. Therefore, with all faith and devotion, let us commemorate the Lord’s entry into the city for our salvation, following in his footsteps, so that, being made by his grace partakers of the Cross, we may have a share also in his Resurrection and in his life.

Leader: Let us pray. Increase the faith of those who place their hope in you, O God, and graciously hear the prayers of those who call on you, that we, who today hold high these branches to hail Christ in his triumph, may bear fruit for you by good works accomplished in him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

All: Amen.

Reader One: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.

When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her.
Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply,
‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.”
This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
Say to daughter Zion, “Behold, your king comes to you,
meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.
They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them,
and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road.
The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.”
And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?”
And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Leader: Dear brothers and sisters, like the crowds who acclaimed Jesus in Jerusalem, let us go forth in peace.

All: In the name of Christ, Amen.

At this point all household members begin waving their palms and they enter the home. You may wish to take one palm and fix it to your front door as a sign that your household observes Palm Sunday.  As you process inside (or into the main room), you may choose to sing along with recorded versions of appropriate hymns listed below. 

Once inside your home the following antiphons are recited.

Leader: The children of the Hebrews, carrying olive branches, went to meet the Lord, crying out and saying: Hosanna in the highest.

Reader One: The children of the Hebrews spread their garments on the road, crying out and saying: Hosanna to the Son of David; blesssed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Reader Two: As the Lord entered the holy city, the children of the Hebrews proclaimed the resurrection of life. Waving their branches of palm, they cried: Hosanna in the Highest.

All: When the people heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they went out to meet him. Waving their branches.

All then sit down.

Reader One: A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah

The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Reader Two: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

All: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Reader Two: All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
"He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him."

All: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Reader Two: Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.

All: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Reader Two: They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.

All: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Reader Two: I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
"You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
 revere him, all you descendants of Israel!"

All: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Reader Two: A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

For the reading of the Passion narrative you can choose to stand or sit as a household.

Leader: Glory and praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.

All: Glory and praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.

Reader One: Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.

All: Glory and praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.

Leader: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew.

All: Glory to you O Lord.

Reader One: Jesus stood before the governor, Pontius Pilate, who questioned him,

Reader Two: “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Reader One: Jesus said, 

Leader: “You say so.”

Reader One: And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him,

Reader Two: “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?”

Reader One: But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them,

Reader Two: “Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?”

Reader One: For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over.  While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message,

Reader Two: “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.”

Reader One: The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply,

Reader Two: “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

Reader One: They answered, 

All: “Barabbas!”

Reader One: Pilate said to them,

Reader Two: “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?”

Reader One: They all said,

All: “Let him be crucified!”

Reader One: But he said,

Reader Two: “Why? What evil has he done?”

Reader One: They only shouted the louder,

All: “Let him be crucified!”

Reader One: When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, 

Reader Two: “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.”

Reader One: And the whole people said in reply,

All: “His blood be upon us and upon our children.”

Reader One: Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged,he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying,

All: “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Reader One: They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.

And when they came to a place called Golgotha — which means Place of the Skull —,
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots;
then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him,
one on his right and the other on his left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,

All: “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross!”

Reader One: Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said,

All: “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

Reader One: The revolutionaries who were crucified with him
also kept abusing him in the same way.

From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

Leader: “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”

Reader One: which means, 

Leader: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Reader One: Some of the bystanders who heard it said,

All: “This one is calling for Elijah.”

Reader One: Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge;
he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink.
But the rest said,

All: ‘Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.”

Reader One: But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.

All kneel in silence for a few moments

Reader One: And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened,
and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection,
they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus
feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said,

All: “Truly, this was the Son of God!”

Reader One: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Take a few moments of silence after the Gospel has been finished. After that, click the video below to view Bishop Bill’s short reflection on Palm Sunday.

Then take some time to discuss the following questions as a household. Don’t be afraid of some awkward silences and don’t feel forced to talk just for the sake of talking! For families with smaller children, parents should adjust these questions according to the specific needs of their household.

Question One:
As we start Holy Week in these unique circumstances, we want to fix our eyes on Jesus and recognize Him in a new way. How have you seen Jesus moving in your life throughout this Lent?

Question Two:
St. Paul tells us that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bend and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Do you feel like you can kneel at his name and confess Him as Lord? Why or why not?

Question Three:
The Gospel we heard was the story of Jesus’ rejection, suffering and death. What part of that story moved you the most?
 

The Creed and General Intercessions
After discussion has ended everyone should stand and recite the Creed together.

All: I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth,of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. 

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Reader One: For our Holy Father Pope Francis, all bishops, priests, deacons, and who minister on behalf of the Church that God give them grace to lead us through these sacred days. Let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer. 

Reader Two: For the whole Christian people, that in this sacred time they may be more abundantly nourished by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer. 

Reader One: For the whole world, that in lasting tranquility and peace our days may truly become the acceptable time of grace and salvation. Let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer. 

Reader Two: That God would put a swift end to the afflictions we suffer from COVID-19. Let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer. 

Reader One: For all the sick, particularly those afflicted by COVID-19, and all caregivers that God would touch them with his healing hand. Let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer. 

Reader Two: For all who have died, that they may rejoice in Christ’s victory over death and receive the reward of eternal life. Let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer. 

At this time household members may choose to share their own personal intentions out loud. You may finish this time for intercessions by praying the Our Father together.

All: Our Father who art in heaven…

 

Act of Spiritual Communion
After the Our Father all household members are invited to make an Act of Spiritual Communion using the following formula. To prepare your hearts, take some moments of silence before reciting this together.

All: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, 
and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

After a few more moments of silence to contemplate receiving the Lord spiritually, all rise to conclude this celebration.

Leader: May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

All: Amen.

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Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.