Holy week starts today

I took some time to take a photo of this simple palm leaf weaved into a cross.

I used my nokia 5 android, 13mp.
I enhanced the color and enhanced the colors.

What is lent?

_{Lenten Season: Click here to learn more}

Lent is a religious observance among catholics. It starts with ash Wednesday on a February and ends three days before easter.

That's a six week period/ 40 days of meditating, prayer and reflecting on the passion, death, resurrection, mission and victory of Jesus Christ. It is also a time of renewing baptismal vows, the meaning of "lent" is spring. It is a time for renewal. This serves as a constant reminder of starting things right again and seeing yourself in a new and better way.

Why the Palm leaves?

As you may notice I am holding a palm leaf. This is a sign of welcoming for the coming of Christ.

Holy week is a reenactment of Jesus coming to Jerusalem and Him dying on the cross, and finally his victorious resurrection (that's why we have easter: no sad to say, easter isn't about the easter bunny)
Jesus was welcomed with palm leaves and so for the first Sunday of Holy week we reflect and welcome Christ the same way as they did before.

It is walking the journey of Christ

_{Image Credit Christ enters Jerusalem}

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.
Palm Sunday is known as such because the faithful will often receive palm fronds which they use to participate in the reenactment of Christ's arrival in Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.
Palm branches are widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, hence their preferred use on Palm Sunday.
The use of a donkey instead of a horse is highly symbolic, it represents the humble arrival of someone in peace, as opposed to arriving on a steed in war.
A week later, Christ would rise from the dead on the first Easter.

The scripture today tells us how Jesus arrived to save us. He came as a poor and humble God-man. He followed God unto death, remarkable obedience we should follow.

Also, the night before Jesus was betrayed, He was with his disciples. He was praying and they were sleeping. He asked them

"you are still sleeping? Could you not stay awake for at least an hour?"

Sometimes this reminds me of when I fall asleep when I pray, yet most times I am fully awake when I am facing my gadgets, drawing or watching a movie, but when praying and reflecting my life-I should be more attentive and give more time indeed!

Jesus was handed over to the enemy, betrayed by His disciple, Judas.
When in trial, the people made false accusations, they were very angry despite all his good deeds, wisdom and miracles.

He cured leprosy, made the blind see, healed the lame, brought the dead back to life, casted demons away and there was His preaching which taught about love and understanding others. Was that not enough?

Yet the people would rather have a thief/murderer in his place. Barabas.

Do people now prefer murder and theft over morality and religion? In today's lifestyle I think some do.

God's first born Israel kills their own God, CRUCIFY HIM! The crowd said louder and louder.
The whole gospel reading in the mass/service today is read like a script where the crowd is played by the people attending mass and the priest plays the role of Jesus and so on with the other characters.

People: Crucify Him!
When you shout it out loud, you'll realize your true guilt because it's our sins that crucifies our Lord.

HAVE A BLESSED HOLY WEEK

Jesus' sacrifice is the most important part of all. We are saved. Let's honor Him and thank Him! Let's show people we need to take care of each other and that love is about sacrifice and giving way.