Essay Sample on Palm Sunday: Religious Customs in Modern Christianity

Introduction

Religious customs have shaped the way people worship and establish a religious culture. Christianity is one of the regions with many followers across the globe. In modern-day Christianity, there are several customs that churches have maintained and keep celebrating to share concepts and teach people according to customary beliefs. Palm Sunday, therefore, is one of the religious customs that Christians conduct annually to commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Differ t churches across the world recognize this day as a religious custom associated with the life of Jesus and carry a lot of teachings and roles in society (Shagrir, 2015). The event is celebrated every last Sunday towards the Easter holiday. In the video, palm study is celebrated on 5th April 2020; it led by Pope Francis, Catholic religious leader. The event is mentioned in the bible, and Christians believe that it marks the beginning of the holy week, which is the last week of the lent season. Christians have adopted this custom; it has become one of the most recognized religious traditions in the world. This article, therefore, describes one the Palm Sunday, one of the religious customs of Christianity.

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Background

From the video, cover the event of Palm Sunday, a Christian custom. Pope Francis leads the Christian religious leader, and church members are participating in the event. The primary purpose f the vent is to remember Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The major events include blessing and supply of palms branches, church attendance, swaying palm on specific places in the church, and placing them in holy books and bible. The mass is conducted inside the church of St. Peter' Basilica. From the inside, the church consists of few people which is unusual because of the contemporary pandemic, including the Pope, other religious leaders, and few church members. There are many palm and olive branches placed in different places in the church, including the altar. The church contains several sits with palm branches. At the top centre of the altar are the cross, a symbol of Jesus salvation, and a sign of Christian beliefs in Jesus existence. Most of the attendances are catholic church leaders, bishops, and parish priests from the Italian capital. For church entrances are palm and olive branches. Palm branches are placed in many places around the church to reflect on the significance of the day.

Palm Sunday Service

The event is ritualized, church leaders and the participants follow the instruction to ensure the significance of the events. The event is celebrated in the church; Pope blesses the palm branches, which are then distributed to the church's attendance and different places of church. The palm branches are scattered from the entrance of the church to represent the Jesus entrance into Jerusalem, where Christians had spread palm branches on the road as Jesus was entering into Jerusalem. Palms twisted to Cross-shape to commemorate Jesus. The palm is then burned to be utilized on Ash Wednesday. The Pope then Pope presides over a mass specifically for the day and teaches Christians concerning the significance of Palm Sunday and preparation of Easter events. Christians believe that the day signifies the beginning of the holy week and the last part of the lent. The significance of the event based on biblical concepts. Believers are instructed on the importance of custom to get the message of the day. The palm and olive branches are used to signify the beginning of holiness and dispels evil spirits among the participants.

Analysis of The Three Forms of Religious Expression on Palm Sunday

Theoretical

Christianity is one of the religions that teach believers about the way of life, according to Jesus teachings in the bible. The religion uses different devices to reach different aspects of life. Christianity recognizes Jesus as their leader and the son of God. The religion teaches the God is the king of the universe, He is the creator of heaven and hearth, provider, and the protector and all people are accountable; to Him. It teaches that God truly exists because he is the one who created us and the universe. Based on Jesus attributes, religion teaches people to remain moral and faithful to God. Practices such as Palm Sunday, Christmas, holly communion, church sessions are used to bring Christians together for worship. Also, Christianity has different symbols, such as the cross. It signifies Jesus presence, the bible to represent God's word, and the church to represents God's kingdom.

Practical

The Christians worship God in the church; usually, in most places of worship, the church leaders preside over the church events following a set of formal steps (Lipmen, 2017). Christians adhere it church formality as they are advised to crisp the significance of every event. Palm Sunday, for instance, is conducted annually following a set of rituals and doctrines (O'Loughlin, 2019). The worships are mostly conducted to praise God, for repentance, and thanksgiving. The main component of worship includes prayer, singing, and offerings. The nature of worship touches different aspects of life. The religion communicates and teaches its people to be moral, discipline, follow the rules, and protect the environment. The ten commandments are the basic principles of the church in Christianity.

Sociological

Christianity accepts all members of society; it not based on race, ethnic group, or family. The church is the central place of worship, where people gather to interact with God. The religion accommodates all the members of the society who are willing and ready to stay committed to the word of God, worship Him, and follow His will. The believers come from different backgrounds and serve only one God.

The leaders of the church, including Pope, Priests, bishops, etc. serve a significant role. They are tasked to serve specific purposes in the places of worship; the main responsibility of leaders is to lead Christians according to the will of God. they also lead Christians in prayer and religious events (Baruth et al. 2015). The nature of leadership should, therefore, serve good examples for others to follow. Their role in society is to ensure that Christians follow the right path.

References

Baruth, M., Bopp, M., Webb, B. L., & Peterson, J. A. (2015). The role and influence of faith leaders on health-related issues and programs in their congregation. Journal of Religion and Health, 54(5), 1747-1759.

Lipmen, S. J. (2017). Inadvertent Evangalisms (Or Not): Teachers' Views on Religion, Religious Beliefs, Positionality and Presence and Their Influence on Their Curricular Choices in the Classroom (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California).

O'Loughlin, T. (2019). Celebrating Palm Sunday with Matthew's passion narrative. The Pastoral Review.

Shagrir, I. (2015). Adventus in Jerusalem: The Palm Sunday celebration in Latin Jerusalem. Journal of Medieval History, 41(1), 1-20.

Video retrieved from https://youtu.be/ZUiQrN6edmk