Kohima, March 20 (MExN): The Catholic Church in Nagaland celebrated Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday that initiates the Christians into the Holy Week on March 20. This year, Most Rev. Dr. James Thoppil, Bishop of Kohima, officiated the Palm Sunday celebrations at Holy Cross Church, Dimapur along with nine priests and hundreds of Catholic faithful of the parish.
A press release from Fr. Thomas Toretkiu, Bishop’s Secretary, Kohima informed that the Bishop in his introduction exhorted the Christians to be faithful to Christ and Holy Week to which they are entering is a call to Christian fidelity. Bishop later prayed and blessed the palm leaves, after which, the community proceeded to the Parish Hall, singing hymns with palm leaves in their hands, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
In the second part of the liturgy at the Parish Hall, Passion narrative from the gospel of Luke was read. The Bishop in his homily said Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday are two sides of the same coin because “we have to rejoice and sing as we receive Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior and we have to weep and morn as his death confronts us with our sin.” Bishop further urged the faithful to spend this week mediating the great things God has done in the “silence of our heart.”
Rev. Fr. Thomas PJ, Parish Priest of Holy Cross Church, announced to the faithful about the Chrism Mass to be celebrated on March 22 at 4:00 pm in Holy Cross Parish Hall, during which the Bishop along with all the priests working in the diocese celebrate the priesthood day, thus showing the unity in priesthood and bless the sacred oils – oil of Chrism, oil of the catechumens and oil of the sick. He invited all the faithful to take part in it.
In Viswema, St. Joseph Church combined the contrasting moments of glory (the royal welcome given to Jesus by his followers) and suffering (the drama of his unjust trial culminating in his crucifixion) during the celebration of Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday today. The congregation held procession holding palm leaves and singing ‘Hosanna’, a Hebrew imperative meaning ‘Grant your salvation’, remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Fr. C. Joseph, the counsellor of St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama presiding over the celebration mentioned the Holy Week challenges and asked the people to remember and relive the events which brought about “our redemption and salvation, to appreciate gratefully the price Jesus paid for our salvation, and to return God’s love for us, expressed through the suffering and death of Jesus, by loving others.” The one hour procession was attended by large number of children, men and women.
