ASIA/MYANMAR - Palm Sunday and Holy Week among the rubble: “Christ is among the displaced”

Mandalay (Agenzia Fides) - In Mandalay, Palm Sunday was celebrated among the rubble “as a sign of resilience and Christian joy in the midst of devastation and suffering,” says Fr. John Kyaw Thu Ya, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, a historic church in the municipality of Yamethin, in the diocese of Mandalay, completely destroyed by the earthquake of 28 March. The parish priest wanted to gather the community and celebrate the Eucharist right in front of the rubble of the church, as a sign of faith and hope: “The church has been destroyed, but the faith of the baptised is firm, it is like the house founded on the rock”. It was a touching moment in the parishes wounded by the earthquake. Outside the churches, the priests of Mandalay tell Fides, the rites of Holy Week will be celebrated. The celebration of the Palms, full of ‘hosannas’, joy and acclamation to the ‘King of kings’ was a moment in which the faithful, all displaced, were able to find themselves, gather and renew their faith in Christ, both in the diocese of Mandalay and in the other affected areas.
As Fides learns, in the diocese of Myitkyina, capital of the state of Kachin, Bishop John Mung Ngawn La Sam, celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of St Columbun, encouraging the faithful “not to despair, not to seek the praise of men, but the will of God”. “Remember that the difficulties and adversities of today,” he said, “are the cross we bear with the Lord Jesus, who is a blessing”. “If we commit ourselves to walking according to God's will, we receive the grace of victory with the Lord Jesus at Easter. Not only will we receive a hundredfold blessings on earth, but we will also receive heavenly treasures.” “Whenever we see and carry the cross,” he continued, “let us remember that the Lord Jesus is on the cross and that in the midst of our suffering, the Lord Jesus is always with us. Christ is with us in the midst of our suffering in Mandalay, Sagaing and the pain of war. The Lord Jesus is with the internally displaced persons suffering today”.
In Yangon, an area less affected by the earthquake, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, during the celebration of the Eucharist on Palm Sunday in the cathedral, recalled that this celebration “expresses peace, joy, humility and hope”, inviting the faithful to “rejoice for the gift received from the Lord, salvation”.
The Cardinal dwelt on the figure of the lamb, “a humble creature, obedient to God's will: the people of Myanmar are called to take an example from that lamb,” he said. “Today, in a context of 'polycrisis' afflicting our country, we cry out to God and ask: why this suffering? Lord why do you not answer us? We do not know God's times, his mysterious plans. However, we know by faith that God's answer for us is the resurrection. We cling to Him amidst difficulties and uncertainty. We pray for unity and a future full of light”.
Melvin Aung, a Catholic youth from St Augustine's Church in Yangon recounts: “I went to church and prayed to the Lord Jesus that, as we raised our palms in remembrance of his entry into Jerusalem, he might enter into our lives, our hearts and our hopes. A light rain and a cool breeze made the moment of the Palm procession even more meaningful, as if nature itself joined in the peace of this holy day. We remembered in prayer all the people of Myanmar, tormented by struggles and difficulties. We prayed for peace and for the healing of our nation”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 14/4/2025)

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