Palm Crosses

Since we're now celebrating Palm Sunday, or at least we are about to be, I thought I'd share some thoughts about a dying tradition, probably due to creeping secularism. When I was a child (yes, I know, it was long ago) one of the pleasures of this time of year was my grandmother folding the palms into crosses. In those days we went to church for Mass and were duly issued with our palm leaves of about 2 feet length. Generally, they were very flexible and were great to wave about. I remember you always tried to get the longest one you could. You really got the spirit of waving your palms as Jesus rode by on his donkey. Not that we actually had a reenactment with donkey; but you get my drift.

Today, what do we do? We have palms, but sadly they are, all too often, in the shape of the cross. It makes no sense to wave a cross at Jesus whilst shouting Hosanna. Fr Peter says

And this weekend, as we hold our Palm Crosses, which at the same time represent both the cheers and jeers of the crowds, we share in this hard road which leads
to his victory.

So I can see that there is justification for the palm in the shape of the cross. It's also true to say that after the entry into Jerusalem, the liturgy turns clearly toward the passion. I'm sure this is why the priest where's red also, to show the blood of the passion, which looms ominously ahead. Knowing what is to come, whilst living the moment again and again, as it were.

I cannot help, however, but think that my gran had the right idea. We wave our palm for the procession and then, when we are leaving, we are firmly set on the cross becoming the symbol of our salvation. So we turn our palm into a cross, pin it to our door, and then remind ourselves, every day, that Christ died for our sins that we might be saved.

This, then, is the problem. If I gave you a two foot palm, would you be able to fold it into a cross? I know, for sure, that I couldn't do it myself. So what do we do? We buy them already folded. Maybe we justify it by saying they're from a particularly good cause, some charity or other. Maybe we see the symbolism in waving the means of our salvation at Jesus upon his entry to Jerusalem; as though he doesn't know this already. I think he probably does.

A modern approach to our problem of having long palms that we can then not fold would be, of course, to go out and buy them already folded? Do you, like me, think this is what happened? Perhaps my growing up, and our tradition, was different to your growing up, and your tradition. Maybe you always had palms folded into crosses. Maybe somebody in your parish spent hours folding up the palms before Sunday. Or maybe, just maybe, like me, your gran taught you.

There was a time I could fold a palm, I think, but now I can't. I stayed away from the Church, I let the secular ways creep in, and now I'm surprised that I cannot fold a palm leaf. How tragic is that? Well, I'm not entirely railing against the modern ways. In fact, I went to the most modern of ways, to the Internet and googled it. I found this website, which has a guide to folding a palm! Trust the good old scouts to be prepared. Sacred Heart in Sittingbourne also have an excellent page, here. (click on the picture to enlarge it)

I also made a decision, I'm going to encourage the parish, of which I'm entrusted in the future, to use long palms and to fold them ourselves. Join me in bringing back our tradition.