Preparing for Sunday Mass (March 28, 2026) “The King on the Cross"

In this episode of The Southern Catholic Podcast, we prepare for Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week by reflecting on the readings for March 28, 2026. This Sunday brings us from the joy of Jesus entering Jerusalem to the sorrow of the Passion according to the Gospel of Matthew.

We talk about what it means to stay faithful when following Christ becomes difficult, why the Church makes us listen to the whole Passion story, and how Palm Sunday challenges us to remain with Jesus not only in moments of celebration, but also on the road to the Cross.

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Transcript

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Alright, hey y'all. Welcome back to the Southern Catholic Podcast. Grab a cup of coffee or sweet tea or one of those a lot of things and just stay a while. Every week we look ahead to the readings for Sunday Mass and look at the themes and the virtue and the history in them and talk about the real ways to go out and live the word throughout just the whole week. And before we even step into Mass, by the time Sunday rolls around, we won't just hear the gospel, we've already started living it. The goal of this episode is simple to help you walk into Mass already thinking and already praying and already trying to live the readings. Let's get into it. In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Lord, we rejoice and shout that you would give your life to pay the price for our treachery. We praise you as our beloved King we've been waiting for. Come reign in our heart, in our lives, and in our town. In Christ's name, amen. In the name of the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit, Amen. Alright, so let's look at this Sunday's Palm Sunday's readings. The procession gospel is Matthew 21 and verse 1 through 11. And we sum it up if you've if this is your first episode of listening to the Preparing for Sunday Mass. We'll just one sentence sum it up. So Matthew 21, 1-11. Jesus enters Jerusalem as king and the people wave palms. The first reading is Isaiah 50, verses 4 and 7. The suffering servant trusts God even when being beaten. The psalm is Psalm 22, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? The second reading is Philippians chapter 2, verse 6 and 11. Christ humbled himself even to death on a cross. And the gospel is Matthew 26, verse 14 through chapter 27, verse 66. The passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. This Sunday is different from every other Sunday. You know, we begin with joy, palms, hosanna's, a procession, and then the church makes us listen to the whole passion. Because the same crowd that shouted Hosanna will soon shout, Crucify Him. And the church wants us to see something clearly. Jesus is King, but not the kind of King that the world expected. And to reflect on the gospel, before we can even talk about the theme of this week, we need to slow it down and sit with the gospel. Because on Palm Sunday, the church gives us the longest gospel we hear all year long. The Passion of Our Lord according to Matthew. In this gospel, we walk with Jesus from the Last Supper all the way to the cross and to the tomb. And we see it, we we see it all. We see Judas betray Jesus, Peter deny him, and the apostles run away to the crowd. They turn against him, and Pilate gives in to pressure. The soldiers mock him, and Jesus is carrying the cross. And then we see him die. And Matthew shows us something very important in this. Throughout all this, Jesus isn't losing. Even when he's arrested, he's in control. When he just stands there before Pilate, he's choosing obedience. When he's nailed to the cross, he's still our king. The book of Matthew reminds us that the cross wasn't an accident. It wasn't a mistake. It wasn't the world winning. One of the most powerful moments in Matthew's Passion is when Jesus cries out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And I didn't understand those words for a long time and didn't really even recognize them until uh Psalm 22. A Psalm that begins in suffering, but it ends in trust. Jesus is showing that us that even in the darkest moments, he is still trusting the Father. And then Matthew tells us something that really should shake us is that when Jesus dies, the earthquakes, and the veil in the temple is torn. Truly, this was the Son of God. The word finally sees the truth. And at the moment, at the cross, Palm Sunday teaches us that the glory of Christ is not only seen in the miracles or crowds and celebrations, his glory is seen most clearly when he gives himself completely. And that brings us to the question this Sunday asks every one of us. The theme is to stay with him. Palm Sunday asks us one question. Will you stay with Jesus? When following him even gets hard. And that's Mary, John, and a handful of other faithful ones. The Christian life is not only about living and loving Jesus when he rides into Jerusalem, it's about staying with him when he walks into Calvary. To connect this in the first reading in Isaiah, Isaiah describes the suffering servant. I gave my back to those who beat me. I did not turn away. Jesus knew exactly what was coming and wasn't surprised or didn't run away and didn't feel forced. He just stayed faithful. This Sunday reminds us that obedience to God sometimes leads through the suffering and not just around it. But God never abandons the one who trusts him. To connect this in the second reading, Saint Paul tells us something powerful. He humbled himself, became obedient to death, even death on the cross. Because Jesus Himself was humbled. God raised him up. And this is the pattern of the Christian life. We have humility and then sacrifice and then the resurrection. The world says that, especially in today's time, it's bad to avoid suffering or protect yourself or do what you should do what feels good. But Christ says that we should follow Him, carry the cross, and trust the Father. Palm Sunday reminds us that the road to Easter goes through Good Friday. The virtue of this week is faithful perseverance. We've talked about it before, but this virtue, faithful perseverance, means staying with God even when our emotions change. Even when prayer feels dry and life feels heavy and chaotic and we don't have the time when we don't understand what God is doing. The crowd followed Jesus when he multiplied the bread. But the saints stayed. Even when he carried the cross. Faithful perseverance means saying, Lord, I'll stay with you. Even here. Now down here we remember and we know what it means to stick together, stick with our family. You know, we're just good folks, and we don't just walk away because things get uncomfortable. And we stay and we work and we trust the Lord. Sometimes it's just out of stubbornness. Palm Sunday reminds us that faith isn't proven on easy days. Faith is proven when the road gets long and the sky gets dark and the cross gets heavy. Some of us love Jesus when life feels like a parade. And it's a great time, it's a great moment too. And it but this week ask, Will we stay with him when it feels like Good Friday? Because Easter only comes to those who don't walk away. Now the practical steps for this week, it's a daily plan to walk with Christ through Holy Week. On Monday, read part of the Passion slowly. Imagine and put your place, put yourself in that place and ask yourself, Would I stay or would I run? And how hard would it be Tuesday? On Tuesday, do one thing that's hard but right and offer it to God without complaining. On Wednesday, pray Psalm 22 and tell God honestly where you feel tired and discouraged. Thursday, spend a few minutes thanking Jesus for the cross. Not because suffering is good, but because love stayed faithful. On Friday, make a serious examination of conscience. Go to confession if it's possible. I know a lot of priest ours especially has extended hours for confession. Walk into Holy Week with a clean heart. And Saturday, sit in silence and ask God, where am I tempted to give up on faith? And for Sunday, Palm Sunday, when you hear the passion, don't rush through it. Close your eyes and stay with Him. Remember when whenever s something feels difficult this week, just pray. Jesus help me stay with you. Say it when you're tired, when you're stressed, when your faith feels dry. When there's so many chaotic things happening in your life, you you just feel like you don't have the time to pray. Say it when your crosses feel heavy. The perseverance grows one small act and one small choice at a time. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Lord Jesus, you entered Jerusalem as King, but you chose the road to the cross. Give us the strength to stay with you when faith is hard. When prayer feels quiet, just help us stay there. When life feels h heavy, help us to stay. When the cross feels close, help us to stay. Teach us faithful perseverance so that when we walk, we walk with you through the Passion, and we're ready to rejoice at the resurrection. We place this holy week in your hands. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Thank you all for praying with me today and this week. Stay close to Jesus. Walk with him through the Passion. Remember, guys, to keep your eyes on Christ, your heart with Mary, and your feet moving towards holiness. You're not through, you're not on, you're not alone in this. We're running this race together. I'll see you next time on the Southern Catholic Podcast. Peace be with you.