The implication of not blessing palms on palm Sunday is that there would be no ashes for the celebration of ash Wednesday this is because according to the the instructions of the Roman Missal, ashes for ash Wednesday are typically supposed to be made from last year’s Palm Sunday palm branches.
These branches are then burned down into a fine powder and, in the United States, are mixed with holy water or chrism oil to create a light paste. In other parts of the world, sometimes dry ashes are sprinkled on the head rather than made into a paste.
There is liturgical significance in the use of the palms from Palm Sunday, as opposed to other materials, to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday.
Father Randy Stice, associate director for the Secretariat of Divine Worship for the U.S. Bishops’ Conference, told CNA that the ashes made from palms remind us of what Lent is all about.
“Those branches herald Holy Week, the suffering death and resurrection of Christ,” Stice said. The feast of Palm Sunday occurs the beginning of Holy Week, which leads up to Easter. “Then that helps us identity with (Jesus) in Lent...it connects us with events in Christ’s own life,” he said.
Ashes have also long been a symbol of repentance and conversion, even in the Old Testament, Stice added.
“It’s an Old Testament and a New Testament symbol of repentance and conversion, sorrow for our sins, awareness of our frailty and mortality - [symbols] that have been taken up by the Church from the earliest stages.”
The question now is if we do not bless palms on palm Sunday there would be no Ash for ash Wednesday except we have to develop some more catechesis to defend that I therefore urge brother priests to bless enough palms on Sunday though parishioner may not be there unless things improve
However the palms may be blessed and kept sacred in the store for ashes next year
Rev Fr Lawrence Ogundipe sdv
Cf This article was originally published on CNA Feb. 14, 2018.
This is a great insight into the issue of Palm Sunday, which signifies the passion week of Christ Jesus, we need to bless the palms before without it there is no Palm Sunday as the Rev Father Ogundipe right said but we can find a means of blessing the ones that will need for 2021 despite the situation around us. God bless and help us amen
ReplyDeleteBeacsue Ash-Wednesday is vital in Christendom, so we must as a matter of fact find a way of blessing the Palms and celebrating the Palm Sunday because of the Ash-Wednesday. God help us
ReplyDeleteThank you that is the point every parish priest need to do the needful by blessing the palms on Sunday
ReplyDeleteTime change and season change but God remain the same.
ReplyDeleteWith the outbreak of Corona pandemic it becomes necessary for our us to adjust to the time we find ourselves. "NO PALM SUNDAY NO ASH WEDNESDAY" this may be the case if and only if the Dioceses that are strongly affected with the global pandemic and lockdown sit and do nothing. Like you rightly pointed out: every parish priest should get the palms and bless them for next year Ash Wednesday. And l will add that; in places where there are alternative to the use of palms these places or Dioceses do not have any problem but in Dioceses where palms are still being use and they can't go out to get them, l guess it is left for the local ordinary to pick a particular day in his Diocese for the blessing of Palms as against next year ash Wednesday.
Thank you so much your contribution is highly educative
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