Palm Sunday Liturgy

I always look forward to the Palm Sunday Liturgy. The Passion of our Lord is recited, with the priest, deacon, and lector having roles in the "play." I have had the honor of participating in this liturgy almost yearly for the past several years.

I take my role as lector seriously. I know that there are a lot of people day dreaming out there, so I try to speak my words with expression to keep people attentive. I try to make eye contact , too, to connect with the congregation.

During the Palm Sunday Liturgy, my lines involve St. Peter's denial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate's condemnation, Judas' betrayal, the crowd freeing Barabas.... well, you get the picture. It really pains me to have to say those thing. I know that we're only retelling the story, but I can't help but feel that I , too, am personally saying these things.

Why this psychological turmoil? Maybe we all have a little bit of Peter, Judas, Pilate, and the angry crowd in all of us. We are all sinners in God's eyes. It's a matter of recognizing that and asking for forgiveness. Luckily for us, God is always ready and willing.

My last line in the narrative is from the Roman centurion, who says, "Truly, this Man was the Son of God." It gives me a chance to redeem myself, to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah! He willingly suffered and died for us.

The depths of God's love and forgiveness humbles me.