Homily for Palm Sunday
Jesus loves us intimately and personally, do we love in the same way?
Today I am going to do two things which are extremely uncharacteristic for a Dominican. First, I shall preach BRIEFLY.
And second, perhaps far more scandalously, I shall quote a Jesuit.
His name: Jorge Bergoglio, you might know him as Pope Francis
Pope Francis, recently wrote a new encyclical Dilexit Nos—which means “He Loved Us”. In this encyclical, Francis asks us to reflect not only on the fact that Jesus loved or that he taught us about love, but to consider how He loved.
Not abstractly. Not from a distance. Jesus didn’t just send us thoughts and well wishes. He came close. He took on our humanity.
He wept, touched, healed, broke bread, flipped tables, and even washed feet. And this week, we see the full measure of His love—a love that is real, that suffers, that gives everything.
As we raise our palms & shout Hosanna, we enter Holy Week with Jesus.
But the joy of His arrival in Jerusalem quickly changes. From joy and glory to suffering and betrayal. And yet, beneath the surface of these events is a deep truth: that Jesus loves us. He loves you—personally, completely, and intimately.
Think of today’s Passion reading. Jesus enters Jerusalem knowing full well what’s ahead: the cries of Hosanna transformed into Crucify him.
Most of his friends will flee, only the bravest, one apostle and the holy women will remain. He will be unjustly accused, tortured, and hung on a cross.
He knows all this. And still, He does not run. He does not resist. Why?
Pope Francis writes that Jesus' love “is not generic. It is concrete, tender, and faithful.” Jesus doesn't just love humanity in general—He loves you. He sees your fears, your wounds, your questions—and He still rides into the city for you. He still carries the Cross for you. And He offers Himself in the Eucharist, in the Church. For you. For me. For us.
The Pope also reminds us that we are called to love in the same way—not in theory, but in action. Palm Sunday reminds us that love and grace are not cheap. They cost something.
Ask any parent who has stayed up late making a costume for Halloween, or gotten up in the night to comfort her child’s cry. Ask spouses or partners the love it takes to forgive after a bitter argument, to overcome your sense of hurt and to offer a truce.
In those moments we all know what my mother taught me so well: that Love can’t be just a feeling; it’s a decision, one we make every day.
And so we are all asked today: Will we walk with Jesus this week? Will we stand beside Him—not only in joy but in the garden, at the trial, and at the Cross?
Because this is the week where everything changes.
And so Jesus says Come. Come to the Holy Week liturgies. Come to Holy Thursday, where Jesus kneels and washes feet. Come to Good Friday, where the Cross is lifted high in victory. Come to the Easter Vigil, when light shatters darkness and Christ rises for you.
We’re not here to just wave palms at a distance. Let us follow Jesus closely this week. Let us love as He loves.