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[They] took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna:
Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord (Jn. 12:13).
The holy Church commemorates this day the 
The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem—Palm Sunday”We magnify Thee, O Christ the Giver of Life, Hosanna in the highest and we cry aloud to Thee, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!” With these words, the Holy Orthodox Church invites all of us, on the Feast of the Entry into Jerusalem to also magnify and greet our approaching Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“>Lord Jesus Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, which He undertook shortly after the resurrection of Lazarus the four-days-dead, six days before the Jewish Passover. This entrance was especially festive; it was attended by a multitude who flocked to the feast of the Passover and desired to see Jesus and His friend The Resurrection of Lazarus and the Entry of the Lord into JerusalemCome forth from the snares of sin you are wallowing in; come forth from the worldly chains in which you are shackled; come forth from the “cave” of despair and enslavement to the dark forces of evil; and come forth to the sun, freedom and the world of the Lord’s grace!…”>Lazarus, who was resurrected by the Savior. With this entrance, the Lord showed the whole world that He is Christ the King Who has come to save men, not out of any human motives, but willingly, for the sake of our salvation.
In fulfillment of the ancient prophecy of Zachariah, the Lord entered Jerusalem on a young colt, accompanied by His disciples and a multitude of people. Everyone thought He was going to Jerusalem to declare Himself King and therefore not only adult men and women but also children, with palm branches in their hands, cried out to Him in delight: Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel (Mt. 21:9, Jn. 12:13)! The children’s exclamations came in fulfillment of the prophecy that from the mouths of infants should be perfected praise to Christ the Redeemer, the King of Heaven and earth (Matt. 21:16, Ps. 8:3).
The Jewish people, listening piously, once solemnly met the Lord at His entrance into Jerusalem, with palm branches in hand; and our holy Church, commemorating this event today, following the example of the Jews, puts branches in our hands and puts the same song of “Hosanna” in our mouths, thereby encouraging us to meet the Lord. Where can we meet Him when He is no longer on earth, but in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father, surrounded by hosts of angels? True, our Lord is primarily in Heaven, but as God, He’s everywhere present; before His Ascension into Heaven He told His disciples, and through them all believers on earth: I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Mt. 28:20). That means that the Lord, having ascended into Heaven, hasn’t forsaken us, but ever abides with us.
His primary presence is here in the churches of God, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, where the bread and wine are transubstantiated into His Body and Blood unto the remission of sins and life eternal for us, if only we worthily eat of His Body and drink from His chalice. Therefore, our meeting with the Lord can and should be first of all in the church of God through prayer, by which we converse with God and enter into the closest heartfelt communication with Him, and then through participation in the offering of the bloodless sacrifice and communion of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. How happy, therefore, are those Christians who tirelessly go to the Lord’s church, listen to the Heavenly teaching there, partake in the mysteries of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which strengthen us in the labors of faith and piety, and participate in the bloodless sacrifice that is propitiatory for our sins and unites us with Christ the Life-giver. Strive, therefore, Christian listeners, to go to the church of the Lord with zeal and joy, so you might have the chance to meet the Lord in your prayers together with your brethren in a spirit of unity, in a union of peace and love, and especially in participation in the holy Sacraments, offering the bloodless sacrifice and communing of it unto the remission of sins and life eternal.
Not only adults, but also children participated in greeting the Lord when He solemnly entered Jerusalem, and taking palm branches in their hands and holding them out high, they accompanied Christ all the way to the Temple, crying out: Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord (Mt. 21:9). Even nursing infants, being in the arms of their mothers, who participated in the Savior’s solemn procession to Jerusalem and to the Temple, imitated the older children and exclaimed as best they could with barely babbling lips: “Hosanna! Hosanna!” And now Christian children certainly must go to the churches of God, participating in the communion of Church prayer and the communion of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Suffer little children … to come unto Me: for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 19:14). How can we not bring children to church who have already been sealed with gifts of grace! Just as their life requires clean air and a living space, so their souls require the grace of the holy church. Here an infant is sanctified and spiritually strengthened by the Sacrament of Communion; here he learns to love the Orthodox faith; here his conscience is aroused to fear God-defying deeds; thus, here he draws closer to Christ, unites with Him. And how desirable it is that parents and educators not forget the words of the Lord: Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me. Then many of us would avoid those unfortunate consequences that we often have to face from neglecting the religious education of children. Whoever becomes accustomed from childhood to turning to God in church with his heart and mouth and learns to know God through prayer and faith can successfully navigate the difficult journey of life through all the vicissitudes of fate. Let us not forget, pious listeners, this holy truth in the matter of the religious and moral education of our children.
Christ the Savior entered Jerusalem a few days before offering the atoning sacrifice of human sins. The same people who have so enthusiastically glorified Him demanded His death only three days later; the festive “Hosanna” was replaced with cries of “crucify Him!” Christ the Savior was crucified and with His Blood He cleansed the sinful earth to make it worthy of God’s love and mercy again, as it came from the hands of the Creator. Since that time, the city of Jerusalem has been a sacred place for all those who believe in Christ. Christians from all nations flock there to pray at blood-stained Golgotha, to venerate the Tomb of the Lord; there every inch of earth is marked by the works of Christ and worthy of veneration; but poverty and worldly worries, the fear of finding no shelter from heat and thirst along the way, fatigue and illness stop many from traveling to Jerusalem to venerate the holy sites.
(St. Neophyte talks about the Russian Palestinian Society of his day):
In order to reduce the troubles of such a journey and during one’s stay in Jerusalem, to make the holy sites of Jerusalem accessible to the entire Orthodox world, the Palestinian Society was established under the august chairmanship of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who took upon himself the task of arranging shelters for Russian pilgrims in the Holy Land, to make travel to the Holy Land easier and less expensive. This society also takes care of the local Orthodox Christians, arranging schools for them, thereby educating them in Orthodoxy and protecting them from the influence of other faiths. Funds for these God-pleasing deeds are being collected all over Russia. We have Orthodox Christians everywhere who, for the glory of Christ and to alleviate the needs of our brethren and, finally, for the honor of our fatherland, willingly offer a contribution according to their means. In order to make these sacrifices accessible to all, the Holy Synod blessed the collection for the holy places on this Palm Sunday. Don’t refuse, brethren, to submit your donations to the said cause today, as much as each one can, without being embarrassed in case of poverty to give even a tiny sum, so that the pilgrims may pray for you at the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord.
Amen.
Source: Orthodox Christianity
