Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Vasyl Motrichenko on Palm Sunday
March 28, 2026
Beloved in Christ, today we can begin our own journey with Jesus towards salvation. Today let us try to understand the mystery of the cross as the source of God’s love poured out upon us. Let us strive to live through all the events of our lives with Christ in a worthy manner, and with pure hearts, let us sing to Him, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Beloved in Christ, today we celebrate the great feast of the Entering of our Lord into Jerusalem, which in our tradition is also known as Palm Sunday.
The importance of this feast is rooted in the passages of Sacred Scripture that we read today, namely, that after the raising of Lazarus, Christ sat upon a donkey and entered Jerusalem, where people had gathered at the city gate, spreading palm branches on the road and crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Jn 12:13). Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey while the people greet Him as a king and expect certain changes in their lives. Yet Christ reveals to them not power and glory, but humility, love, and self-sacrifice. For today people glorify Him with cries of “Hosanna”, but in a few days they will shout, “Crucify Him!” Despite hatred, threats, and contempt, Christ does not cease to love humanity but humbly accepts the cup prepared for Him and, in all things, fulfils the will of the Heavenly Father, as the Evangelist Luke writes: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Lk 22:42).
The Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem and the events that follow present to us the redemptive path of Jesus Christ. In order to fulfil the will of the Father and that the words of the prophets might be accomplished, Christ must endure great suffering, be scourged, carry the heavy cross, be crucified, and die upon the cross — but on the third day He will rise from the dead.
The Almighty Lord is counted among sinners and criminals, yet He does not complain but humbly fulfils the will of God. Jesus is deprived of all honours, and His crown becomes a crown of thorns. His goodness and mercy, which He showed to those in need, are so quickly forgotten, and His dignity is scorned. Yet even while on the cross, Jesus does not complain but prays, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” From the gallows, from the cross, the Son of God teaches us true love. For out of love God created the world and the human person as the crown of creation. Out of love the Father sends His Son into the world to save it from sin, and out of love Jesus carries the heavy cross, dies, and rises again in order to redeem all humanity.
Therefore, Beloved in Christ, today we can begin our own journey with Jesus towards salvation. Today let us try to understand the mystery of the cross as the source of God’s love poured out upon us. Let us strive to live through all the events of our lives with Christ in a worthy manner, and with pure hearts, let us sing to Him, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Having celebrated the feast of branches and palms, let us, the faithful, gather for the divine feast of the holy and saving mystery of Christ’s Passion, and let us behold how He willingly accepts suffering for our sake and how He gives His life for the salvation of the whole world. Therefore, with thanksgiving, let us sing to Him the song of victory and cry out with contrite hearts: ‘O Lord, fountain of mercy and haven of salvation—glory to You!’” (Sticheron from Vespers on Sunday).
