Today, the Church celebrates the Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. The celebration will be filled with numerous rites, such as, the blessing of the palms, the procession, the proclamation of the Lord's passion and others. However, let us not be distracted from the true significance of the day's celebration, namely, the self-giving of Jesus.

fa All the readings today highlight this important point. The passage from the Book of Isaiah, often described as the 'Servant Song' speaks of a disciple who, even in the face of adversity, appears to willingly accept his afflictions. The second reading portrays Jesus as one who did not selfishly cling to his exalted position of being "in the form of God." Unlike the first man, Adam, who fell into temptation because he wanted to grasp equality with God, Jesus freely emptied himself from his exalted position and took on Adam's condition of slavery, sin and corruption.

The Gospel readings also emphasize Jesus' self-giving. He rides into Jerusalem on an ass, indicating that unlike kings who ride on horses to war, Jesus is the humble king of Peace. At the Last Supper, Jesus' action dramatizes his own self-offering as the new Paschal lamb when he offers himself to his disciples in the form of his Body and his Blood, thereby signifying the making of a new covenant. Let us be challenged by the example of Jesus who came to serve and not to be served.