EMN
Dimapur, March 29
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]atholic Church in Nagaland today joined the rest of the Christian world in celebrating the Palm Sunday a prelude to Holy Week.
The celebration at Kohima Cathedral was presided over by the Most Rev. Dr. James Thoppil, Bishop of Kohima.
Frs. Carolus, Richard, John, Lawrence and Thomas concelebrated with the Bishop during the Mass participated by over three thousand people. The liturgy of the day had two parts. During the first part the Parishners gathered at the junction of police headquarters, where the bishop prayed and blessed the palm leaves, after which the community in possession proceeded to the Cathedral, singing hymns, with palm leaves in their hands, commemorating the triumphant entry of Jesus in Jerusalem.In the second part of the liturgy was at the Cathedral where Passion narrative from the gospel of Mark was read.
The bishop in his homily called for fidelity to God. “Palm Sunday’s happy and joyous crowd which first sang Jesus’ praises soon become a riotous mob, mindlessly listening to whispers calling it to shout “Crucify Him!” it should disturb us and horrify us, it should shame us to know that we are that mob. We feel horrified and detested at the crowd. Are we far from them, asked the Bishop? We come Sunday to be with the Lord, to listen to him in the scripture and to have communion with him in the Eucharist. But when we go back, whom do we serve?”
He said that the holy week gives us an opportunity to look into our own commitment and loyalty to Christ and his Gospel. “Holy Week challenges us 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 meditation on these Paschal Mysteries should enable us to do our own dying to sin and rising with Jesus, which will result in our healing, reconciliation and redemption. In taking the blessed palm leaves to our homes, we are declaring our choice to accept Jesus as the King and Ruler of our lives and our Families. Finally he exhorted the faithful to maintain the spirit of silence and reflection because God speaks louder at the most silent, most difficult and most challenging moments of our life.”
Rev. Fr. Carolus Neisalhou, Vicar General of the Diocese and the Parish Priest of the Cathedral Church announced to the faithful about the Chrism Mass to be celebrated on March 31 at 3.30 pm in Cathedral Church 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 and invited all the faithful to take part in it.
St. Francis Xavier’s Church Kidima
St. Francis Xavier’s Church Kidima observed Palm Sunday procession which began from Thokhwezu village view to Church with Parish Priest Reverend Father Thomas Muttathil.
Parish Priest, Reverend Father Thomas Muttathil in the introductory of the Palm Sunday said, the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem was the cause for great celebration.
Reverend Father Thomas Muttathil in his homily said, Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem reflects our own personal day to day life.
