Here is Fr. Tom’s March 2026 newsletter column.

On March 29, Palm Sunday, the Passion according to St. Matthew will be read.  It is a long passage, covering Jesus’ story: from making plans for the last supper through our Lord’s burial. Several people participate in the reading, taking the speaking parts from various characters – from prominent voices with many lines such as Pontius Pilate to lesser-known characters with only a word or two, such as the centurion at the cross. But anyone who has read a part can tell you, when you read your lines aloud during the Passion gospel, they feel like more than words. You identify with the characters, the people behind the words. It feels more “real” in some ways than other readings in other liturgies. Reading aloud as a community allows us to enter the story at a deep level. We get a sense that the story of Jesus truly happened; that it is our story, the true story of God among us. And as the good book says, the truth sets us free, for we see in our story, God forgiving us and loving us no matter what pains the Son of Man must endure.