In the Syriac Christian tradition, the Sunday before Holy Week is known as Hosanna Sunday (in Syriac, Had b-šabo d-ʿOshaʿne).
It is one of the great feasts of the Syriac liturgical calendar. While it does not hold the same central importance as Easter, it is far more than simply another Sunday before the Resurrection.
It is a feast that invites Christians to contemplate both the greatness of God and His humility, and to recognise that the highest activity of the human person is to humble ourselves before him in worship.
Behind the colour and noise of the world, there is always the mysterious wonder of God. Hosanna Sunday draws our attention particularly to that greatness. Yet the Gospel narrative also reminds us that the Lord who is worthy of all praise chose to enter Jerusalem not in power, but in humility, riding on a young donkey.
This emphasis on praising the greatness of God helps explain why, in the Maronite and Syriac traditions, Hosanna Sunday is marked with joy and celebration. It brings Lent to its conclusion and is not a day of fasting.
Yet this Sunday also stands at the threshold of Passion Week. It opens the door to the sacred days that will lead to the crucifixion of the Lord and ultimately to the glory of the Resurrection.
For this reason, the day contains both joy and sorrow. It celebrates Christ the King, while reminding us that His kingship will soon be revealed through suffering and sacrifice.
The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is one of the few events recorded in all four Gospels (Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; John 12). The evangelists understood the event as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion… behold your king comes to you… humble and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
The symbolism of the donkey is important. A conquering king would normally enter a city riding a horse, an animal associated with war. The donkey, by contrast, was a domestic animal and a sign of peace and humility.
The Gospels also recount the mysterious way in which Jesus instructed his disciples to find the donkey and its colt. When challenged, they were to say simply: “The Lord has need of them.” The precision of these instructions suggests that the Lord had carefully prepared the moment.
The crowds welcomed Jesus with branches and cloaks spread along the road. They cried out the words preserved in Psalm 118: “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” The word “Hosanna”, probably Aramaic in origin, means “Save us, we pray”.
It is both a cry for salvation and a hymn of praise addressed to the One who has the power to save.
After entering Jerusalem, the Lord went to the Temple. When the priests and scribes objected, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture: “Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise” (Matt 21:16).
St Luke records another response of the Lord when some Pharisees demanded that he rebuke His disciples: “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out” (Lk 19:40).
The Syriac Fathers reflected on the meaning of this event. St Ephrem the Syrian, in his hymns, draws a striking parallel between the branches laid before Christ on the roads of Jerusalem and the way the Lord walked upon the sea and calmed its waves.
Christ himself is the path. As the Gospel of John proclaims, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). Just as John the Baptist prepared a path in the wilderness for the coming of the Lord, so each believer is called to prepare an inner path for Christ. The Fathers speak of the Lord wishing to enter the city of our stubborn attitudes, the wilderness of our dry hearts, and the sea of our turbulent emotions.
Hosanna Sunday therefore becomes not only a historical remembrance, but a spiritual invitation.
We are called to welcome the Lord into our lives by preparing a path within ourselves. Then, more fully and more truthfully, we can join in the cry that echoes through the centuries: “Hosanna in the highest.”
