Passion Sunday - Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches

Today [Christ] returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation....Let us run to accompany him ...and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish.... So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather,  clothed completely in him.  We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him.  Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory.  Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children's holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.

From a sermon by St. Andrew of Crete, bishop

When I enter the adoration chapel, everything within me compels me to prostrate myself before the altar in love, adoration, hope and belief.  It is an act of obedience to the Holy Spirit at work in my soul - for my humanness recoils at the display, and begs pardon for those who might be disturbed by my actions. I am often drawn to come before the Lord of Glory and meekness who waits ceaselessly for His children. The prayer that consumes my time in prostration is the prayer given to the children at Fatima. St. Michael, the Archangel, taught the children to pray: 
O my God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You. 
The angel said to prostrate yourself on the ground and to repeat it three times in adoration of Jesus' presence in the Blessed Sacrament.  Francisco, who was 9 years old, prayed this prayer for hours at a time throughout the day. His great desire was to console our Lord who was so greatly offended by our sins and indifference. 
This prayer drives me to pray for God to adored by all those who do not desire to come before Him, who might be steeped in sin, in darkness, in despair or busy-ness and who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Him.  I also offer my adoration for who long to spend time in adoration, but do not have the opportunity to come before Him and also for those who can come but do not take the time. I kiss the ground in reparation and for conversion of sinners, as Mary instructed St. Bernadette at Lourdes.
In a very mysterious, yet profoundly real and holy way, we are united as one in Christ who took on our flesh and raised it to Himself at His Incarnation.  Each of our prayers and our acts of love build up the whole Body of Christ, while conversely, each act of pride, envy and sin tears down and works to destroy His Body. 
Jesus told us, "Come to me, all who are weary and are burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28).
I have found this to be profoundly true in my own life. There is nothing special about me. Jesus is calling each of us to spend time with Him in adoration.  May each of us answer His call to adore Him this Holy Week, if not in the adoration chapel, in the temple of our hearts.  May we lay at His feet not lifeless branches, but our hearts on fire with love of Him, ready to follow Him wherever He leads.

Mary, our Mother, and perfect disciple, always draw us into greater love of Your Son.