The children and the disciples showed their recognition of Christ by their acclamations and their actions. When asked to rebuke them, Our Lord said “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Lk 19.40) He was the fulfilment of all the prophecies of the Messiah, and His sacrifice was to fulfil all the sacrifices of the old law. At the moment of His death, the worship of the Temple ended and the veil before the holy of holies was torn asunder.
The mockery and physical torture of Our Lord are shocking to us even in purely human terms. When we consider that He was not only an innocent victim, but the living God made man for our salvation, the depth of sheer evil and blasphemy show towards Him is unfathomable.
At His death, Our Lord cried out “It is consummated”, proclaiming His triumph over this evil, over all the sins that had ever been committed, a triumph that would serve also for the forgiveness of sins until the end of time. That is why we give the crucifix a place of honour in our Churches and in our homes.
During this week, we do not somehow pretend that the resurrection has not happened. We celebrate the Passion of the Lord because it is the sacrifice that takes our sins away; the fact of the resurrection means that it is an eternal and living sacrifice that is effective for us here and now, not simply as a memory.