Before I begin, just wanted to wish Miss Singapore Universe hopeful Jacqueline Ong all the best in her bid to become Miss Singapore Universe 2005. You go, girl.

Anyway…

Yesterday, the Church celebrated Passion Sunday, perhaps more commonly known as Palm Sunday. It recalls the event of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem near the end of his ministry on Earth, when our Lord, riding on a donkey entered the city surrounded by his supporters. To show their allegiance to him, they spread their cloaks on the ground and waved branches… a truly triumphant sight. We recalled how Jesus was more than a prophet to these people. They actually believed that as the Messiah, the anointed one promised by God through his prophets who would come and save his people, Jesus was going to establish his Kingdom by conquering Jerusalem, the capital city.

Oh how terribly confused they were… in less than a week, their opinion of Jesus failed, their faith in him lost when they realised that this man was no worldly warrior. No, he amassed no army, scored no political victory, but only angered the people and religious leaders through his words, which they believed to be outright blasphemy. Their verdict? He was a charlatan, and deserved to die, for he would convert even more people, turning them against the religious authorities if he lived.

Welcome to Holy Week, the climax of the liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church. Holy Week marks the end of Lent, our 40 days of spiritual preparation for Good Friday and Easter, and the start of a truly religious experience, if we only cared to appreciate it. In the first three days of this week, we recall the last days of the life of Jesus, as he preached in the Temple, to the Greeks, to the Jews to their utter disbelief. It seemed as if the whole world was against Jesus. Even his disciples were afraid and confused.

But that is our legacy. Those people had not yet seen the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ, they had not seen him die, nor had they seen him resurrected. But we have. We have, for the past two millenia, known the presence of Christ, been touched by him in some way or another, exclaimed our love for him many times in the past before. But this is when it all gets put to the test… the days leading up to the event when Jesus was arrested, scourged, crucified and died, all for our sake. This is when we, as his new disciples, are called to strengthed our faith in him, so that we might not repeat the mistake of Saint Peter, who denied knowing Jesus, three times in the same night. Let this be a week of deep meditation, of prayer and of uniting ourselves with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed Holy Week.