top of page
Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne
March 29, 2026
On this page you will find:
The readings for Mass, the Mass leaflet with the choice of hymns
A sample universal prayer available for download, in PDF and editable Word formats.
A meditation on the Sunday Gospel, a spiritual text and commentary by Marie-Noëlle Thabut
Palm Sunday
and of the Passion of the Lord
Solemnity
“Here is your king coming to you,
full of sweetness,
mounted on a female donkey and a small donkey,
the offspring of a beast of burden.
Matthew 21:5
Readings from the Mass
Mass leaflet
Universal Prayer
Suggested Chorus
R / Through Jesus Christ your servant, we pray to you, Lord.
Consult the Lectio Divina page, which invites you to read the Gospel in a prayerful atmosphere so that you may be touched in your heart. It is important not to rush to read commentaries or homilies before having this personal experience of encountering Christ in Scripture.
Next, if you wish, you can read the meditations below which will enrich your personal reading and meditation.
HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
AR - DE - EN - ES - FR - IT - PL - PT
Saint Peter's Square
34th World Youth Day
Sunday, April 14, 2019
[ Multimedia ]
The acclamations of the entry into Jerusalem and the humiliation of Jesus. The festive cries and the ferocious fury. This twofold mystery accompanies each year the entry into Holy Week, in the two characteristic moments of this celebration: the procession with palm and olive branches at the beginning and then the solemn reading of the Passion narrative.
Let us be involved in this action animated by the Holy Spirit, to obtain what we have asked for in prayer: to accompany our Savior with faith on his path and to always keep in mind the great teaching of his passion as a model of life and victory against the spirit of evil.
Jesus shows us how to face difficult times and the most insidious temptations, maintaining in our hearts a peace that is not detachment, insensitivity, or a superhuman attitude, but rather a trusting surrender to the Father and his will for salvation, life, and mercy. Throughout his mission, he resisted the temptation to "do his own work," choosing his own path and detaching himself from obedience to the Father. From the beginning, in the struggle of the forty days in the desert, to the end, in the Passion, Jesus rejected this temptation through trusting obedience to the Father.
Today too, during his entry into Jerusalem, he shows us the way. For in this event, the evil one, the Prince of this world, had a card to play: the card of triumphalism, and the Lord responded by remaining faithful to his way, the way of humility.
Triumphalism seeks to reach its goal through shortcuts and false compromises. It aims to ride on the victor's chariot. Triumphalism thrives on gestures and words that have not been forged in the crucible of the cross; it feeds on confrontation with others, always judging them as worse, limited, and failures. A subtle form of triumphalism is spiritual worldliness, which is the greatest danger, the most insidious temptation threatening the Church (De Lubac). Jesus destroyed triumphalism through his Passion.
The Lord truly shared and rejoiced with the people, with the young people who shouted his name, acclaiming him as King and Messiah. His heart rejoiced at the enthusiasm and celebration of the poor of Israel. So much so that to those Pharisees who asked him to rebuke his disciples for their scandalous acclamations, he replied, “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40). Humility does not mean denying reality, and Jesus is truly the Messiah, the King.
But at the same time, Christ's heart is on another path, the holy path known only to him and the Father: the path that leads from the "condition of God" to the "condition of servant," the path of humiliation in obedience "even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8). He knows that to achieve true triumph, he must make room for God; and there is only one way to make room for God: to strip himself bare and empty himself. To be silent, to pray, to humble himself. There is no negotiation with the cross; one either embraces it or rejects it. And through his humiliation, Jesus wanted to open the way of faith for us and to go before us on it.
Behind him, the first to walk this path was his Mother, Mary, his first disciple. The Virgin and the saints had to suffer to walk in faith and in the will of God. Faced with the harsh and painful events of life, responding with faith costs “a certain sorrow of the heart” (cf. St. John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptoris Mater , n. 17). This is the dark night of faith. But it is only from this dark night that the dawn of the Resurrection breaks. At the foot of the cross, Mary recalled the words with which the Angel had announced her Son to her: “He will be great…; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end” (Lk 1:32-33). At Golgotha, Mary finds herself confronted with the complete contradiction of this promise: her Son is dying on a cross like a criminal. Thus triumphalism, destroyed by the humiliation of Jesus, was also destroyed in the heart of the Mother; both knew how to remain silent.
Preceded by Mary, countless saints have followed Jesus on the path of humility and obedience. Today, World Youth Day, I would like to speak of the many young saints, especially those "next door," whom only God knows, and whom He sometimes delights in revealing to us unexpectedly. Dear young people, do not be ashamed to express your enthusiasm for Jesus, to proclaim that He lives, that He is your life. But at the same time, do not be afraid to follow Him on the way of the cross. And when you feel that He is asking you to renounce yourselves, to strip yourselves of your securities, to entrust yourselves completely to the Father in heaven, then rejoice and exult! You are on the path to the Kingdom of God.
Festive cheers and fierce hostility; Jesus' silence during his Passion is awe-inspiring. He also overcomes the temptation to respond, to be "media-savvy." In moments of darkness and great tribulation, we must be silent, have the courage to remain silent, provided it is a serene and unresentful silence. The gentleness of silence will make us appear even more fragile, more humbled, and then the devil, regaining his courage, will emerge with his face uncovered. We must resist him in silence, "holding our ground," but with the same attitude as Jesus. He knows that the war is between God and the Prince of this world, and that it is not a matter of seizing a sword, but of remaining calm, steadfast in faith. It is God's hour. And when God enters the battle, we must let Him. Our safe haven will be under the mantle of the Holy Mother of God. And while we wait for the Lord to come and calm the storm (cf. Mk 4:37-41), through our silent witness in prayer, we give to ourselves and to others “a reason for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Pet 3:15). This will help us to live in the holy tension between remembering the promises, the reality of the determination shown on the cross, and the hope of the resurrection.
Homily
Draw from the source
We are approaching the end of Lent. The biblical readings for this Sunday offer us a glimpse of the joy of Easter, the victory of life over death. We are invited to participate in this victory by committing ourselves to the service of peace and life. As every year, CCFD calls us to fight against the suffering and inequalities that mark our world. We see it clearly: the poor are becoming poorer and more numerous. International news is dominated by violence, conflict, and the distress of those fleeing their homeland in search of peace. It is important to be attentive to the cries from here and elsewhere. CCFD-Terre Solidaire invites us this year to be moved by the cries of the world and to transform them into shared hope.
For this struggle, we turn to the Lord. The biblical texts for this Sunday seek to help us. First, we have the first reading, which takes us back to the fourth century BC. The people of Israel are in great distress because they are deported to a land of exile. But the prophet Ezekiel intervenes to rekindle the hope of the exiles. God will open the tomb into which this people has been swallowed up. He will bring them back to the land of Israel. This will be the victory of life over death. Through this biblical text, we already have an introduction to the idea of resurrection.
There is a word that recurs frequently in the Old Testament and the Gospel: the verb "to come out." We discover a God who brings his people out of Egypt; he announces that he will raise them from their tombs: "I will put my Spirit within you, and you will live." The Gospel also speaks to us of a God who goes out. We all know the parable of the sower who went out to sow. And we mustn't forget the master who goes out to hire workers until the eleventh hour. Today, CCFD invites us to emerge from our indifference and passivity. As in the time of Moses, the Lord sees the misery of his people and sends us to free them from all that destroys them.
In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul speaks of the Spirit who delivers us from the power of the flesh. In his language, he refers to the weaknesses of the human condition and to sin. We are called to live under the guidance of the Spirit. Through this message, he directs us back to the divine life sown within us. It is the pledge of our resurrection. It is life that triumphs over death. Day by day, we become more attentive, more compassionate, and more generous. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we learn to open our eyes, our hands, and our hearts.
This Sunday's Gospel tells us about Lazarus's journey from the tomb. Through this extraordinary act, Jesus fully expresses his power over death. The disciples know that this journey to Jerusalem is a march toward death. Despite their disbelief, he wants them to understand that this road will end with the victory of life.
From this Gospel, we must especially remember Jesus' solemn declaration: "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even though they die, will live." Then we have Martha's response: "Yes, Lord, I believe." Reading this Gospel, we become aware of an important reality: it is not only Lazarus who must be raised from his tomb; it is all of humanity that must be delivered from death. We are all called to come out of our selfishness, our indifference, our sin. As with Lazarus, the Lord says to us all: "Come out!"
A mere return to life only postpones the inevitable. Christ wants to bring us forth into another life. He calls us to a new life. This will be the triumph of life over death. It is a life that will not pass away. But first and foremost, we must heed Christ's call to raise us from our tomb. With him, we experience the wondrous event of life's victory over death. We are invited to live this Lent as a passage toward a life that is more just, more compassionate, more open to God and to others. With Christ, we can always overcome our fears and rediscover the courage and hope to move forward. It is with him that we must rise again each day.
Today, the same Christ is counting on us to participate in this work of liberation. Many of our brothers and sisters are as if they were locked in tombs. We think of all those who are oppressed, unemployed, hungry, or sick. We believe that the Lord can open these tombs. But we also know that his word and his actions depend on our commitment.
CCFD Terre Solidaire calls on us to transform the world's clamor into hope. It is unacceptable that men, women, and children remain trapped in their precarious situation. Christ teaches us to listen and to be moved by their suffering. He invites us to open our hearts, our eyes, our ears, and our hands. The swaddling clothes that bound Lazarus are a symbol of our selfishness, our coldness, and our indifference. This is what Jesus wants to free us from.
By calling Lazarus to come outside, Jesus is also addressing all people. He calls them all by name. With him, death cannot have the last word. It has become a passage, a gateway to eternity. On this day, we make Martha's profession of faith our own: "I believe, Lord; you are the Son of God who comes to save the world."
Sources: Feu Nouveau Review, Prions en Église Notebook, Homilies of the Liturgical Year (Simon Faivre) – CCFD Documents
Understanding the readings
with Marie-Noëlle THABUT
bottom of page