We pray the Sanctus prayer at every mass, but the prayer is especially meaningful on Palm Sunday when we commemorate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem.
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
The prayer is called the Sanctus because Sanctus is the word “holy” in Latin (Catholic Answers). As Jesus entered Jerusalem an early version of the prayer was recited by the crowd of pilgrims that followed him from Jericho. Pope Benedict’s book Jesus of Nazareth (Part Two) gives a captivating discussion of Jesus’ entrance into the city and the symbolism surrounding his entrance — prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled.
What might seem unusual is that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey. Pope Benedict writes that by doing so Jesus assumes the right of kings who use an animal that no one else had yet sat upon. Further, he notes that both the gospels of Matthew (21:5) and John (12:15), quote Zechariah 9:9: “… Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
“Hosanna,” originally a cry for help prayed at the Feast of Tabernacles, transitioned to being used as a shout of jubilation in praise of the Lord. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” comes from Psalm 118 and was used by the pilgrims to praise Jesus. The praise took on Messianic significance because it designated Jesus as the Davidic king promised by God. Pope Benedict also makes a strong distinction that the crowds who accompanied Jesus and entered the city with him were not the same crowd that later demanded his crucifixion.
Pope Benedict closes his discussion by writing that just as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the Church sees him coming again and again in the humble form of bread and wine. “The Church greets the Lord in the Holy Eucharist as the one who is coming now, the one who has entered into her midst. At the same time, she greets him as the one who continues to come, the one who leads us toward his coming.” (Ratzinger, 2011, page 10)
Catholic Answers. Where Does the “Holy, Holy, Holy prayer come From?” Retrieved March 24, 2026, from https://www.catholic.com/qa/where-does-the-holy-holy-holy-prayer-come-from
Ratzinger, J. Pope Benedict XVI. (2011). Jesus of Nazareth (Part Two) Holy Week: From the entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. Ignatius Press.
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