"Palm Sunday" – Giotto (1305-06) "Betrayal & Arrest of Christ" – Fra Angelico (1450)
“The Passion”
Each year on this Sunday we follow the events of Jesus’ life from the time he entered Jerusalem until the point where he was laid in the tomb after his crucifixion. Jesus first entered Jerusalem riding a donkey amid waving palm leaves. It was in Jerusalem that he foretold Judas’ betrayal, Peter’s denial, and established the Eucharist at the Passover meal. Jesus took his disciples into Gethsemane to pray, but they could not stay awake with him. In the garden, Jesus was turned over to the authorities, tried before the Sanhedrin, brought to Pilate, and sentenced to death. When offered a choice during the festival to release a prisoner, the people chose the release of Barabbas. Their choice was beyond Pilate’s comprehension, so he symbolically washed his hands of the whole deal. Jesus was turned over to the Roman authorities for crucifixion and mocked by them. Finally, Jesus died on the cross. The earth darkened and quaked. He was prepared quickly for burial and laid in the tomb.