Address of Bishop Robert Rabbat on Palm Sunday, 13 April 2025.

At St Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Diocese of Australia and New Zealand in Bossley Park, NSW.

“Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John 12:13)

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Hierarchs, the Clergy and the Faithful representing the several Australasian-Middle East Christian Apostolic Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, that constitute AMEC.

May this day be for each of you a truly blessed Palm Sunday. And, an especially warm welcome to our young people whose presence today is a most positive and hopeful sign for the future of our Churches in Australia.  

Today, we are reminded that the Household of the Faith does not measure time or consider the passing of the centuries in the same way as the world records events, what we call “history”.

For us the unfolding of time does not leave behind us a constantly lengthening chain of events, never accessible once accomplished, done and gone. Rather we believe that in remembering the events of salvation history we are truly present at them, and they are made open and available to us.  

Today, we are gathered with the crowds that have come out to greet Jesus as he comes to claim the Throne-City of his ancestor David. Yesterday, many of those who awaited Jesus were present at Bethany, some three and a half kilometres to the southeast of Jerusalem. There they had witnessed Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb. (John 11:38-44).

Now, the miracle-seeking crowds awaited the victorious King who would usher in the Messianic Age. That they could not see beyond their politics undoubtedly meant that many of them who shouted Hosanna one day would be calling for his crucifixion in less than a week.

If there is anything to be learned from the crowds who welcomed Jesus so readily, so eagerly, it is that the rush of public opinion is very often less than lasting.

In our society, a society of instant opinions and manufactured news, ever present experts and influencers, it is possible even for the believers to be seduced by false messages. Remember that even the Devil can quote Scripture, and he misquotes and twists everything else. (Matthew 4:6).

For us today is a special occasion because we can enjoy the celebration together as both Catholics and Orthodox. The last common Easter was in 2017, the next will be in 2028.

Also in the Catholic Church we are celebrating a Jubilee or Holy Year. The particular theme for this year-long celebration is Hope, and the people of God are described as Pilgrims of Hope. As we draw near to Holy and Glorious Easter, the Pascha of the Lord, we are evermore conscious that the Great and Holy Lent has been a journey; today the fulfilment of that journey is within sight.

As Catholics and Orthodox, we are singularly blessed to be Nicaean Christians; we confess the Nicaean Creed; and this year we are celebrating the seventeen hundredth anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

It was the First Council of Nicaea that determined the method of reckoning the date of Easter. That human frailty has led to a disputed calculation is a matter yet to be resolved. However, these unusual years of a common date are surely a reminder from the Risen Lord that we need to set this matter right.

As we enjoy our Palm Sunday procession today, our thoughts should also be with our brothers and sisters in the Faith who cannot celebrate this day or who will be prevented from holding Easter services. This might often be because of religious persecution or military hostilities. Offer your prayers today for the Church once more forced into the catacombs.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Let us thank the Good Lord for the gift of this Great South Land, Australia, wherein we are free to practise our Faith in the open, in plain sight of even those who do not agree with us. However, never forget that, as a Serbian Orthodox saint writes:

“In truth there is only one freedom - the holy freedom of Christ, whereby He freed us from sin, from evil, from the devil. It binds us to God. All other freedoms are illusory and false, that is to say, they are all, in fact, slavery.” 

And to the Lord Jesus Christ, who comes to us today riding on a donkey, let there be all honour and glory, praise and thanksgiving. Let even the stones cry out “Hosanna!”

And, as we commence the Great and Holy Week, we, the responsible for the spiritual care of the Faithful of AMEC, wish you every Heavenly Grace and Blessing.

 ✠Robert Rabbat, DD

President of The Australasian-Middle East Christian Apostolic Churches (AMEC)