SCRANTON – Only a slight breeze was blowing in the Cathedral Prayer Garden April 13, 2025, as the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, began Palm Sunday Mass with a blessing of the palms, surrounded by a crowd of faithful who held branches of their own.
With palms in hand, the congregation joined the Bishop in a procession into the Cathedral of Saint Peter, reenacting Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It was a symbolic start to Holy Week, marking the beginning of a journey that would move from celebration to the solemn remembrance of Jesus’ death.
Following the proclamation of the Passion from the Gospel of Luke, Bishop Bambera invited the faithful deeper – beyond the palm branches – into the very heart of the Cross.
The Bishop opened his homily with a historical reflection: the story of Emperor Heraclius, who, in the 7th century, recaptured the relic of the True Cross of Christ from Persia and sought to return it to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Clothed in royal splendor – gold and jewels – Heraclius found himself unable to move forward through the gates of Calvary. It wasn’t until he removed his lavish garments that he could carry the relic to its rightful place.
Drawing from the writings of Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, longtime preacher to the papal household, the Bishop then reminded the faithful that none of us can approach the Cross while clinging to pride or self-importance.
“We cannot possibly draw near to the crucifix unless we first get rid of our pretensions to greatness, to our rights, and, in other words, to our pride and vanity,” the Bishop quoted. “It is simply not possible. We would be invisibly rejected.”
Just as the celebrant removes his shoes and vestments before venerating the Cross on Good Friday, so too must every Christian spiritually strip away the layers of ego and self-reliance.
“Only when we are finally humble enough to admit that we cannot save ourselves,” the Bishop said, “will there be space in our hearts for the love of Jesus – a love that alone has the power to carry us to a place of life and peace.”
As Holy Week begins, Bishop Bambera urged the faithful to not simply observe the coming days but enter fully into them.
“For all that we bring (to Holy Week), may we not forget to enter these sacred days praying for the same spirit of humility that characterized Jesus’ life and His embrace of the Cross.”