Do not be stealing the hope that Jesus gives us
Pope's homily on Palm Sunday
By Francis Pope
VATICAN CITY, March 24, 2013 (Zenit.org) - At 9:30 today the Holy Father Francisco presided in St. Peter's Square the solemn liturgy of Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord. At the center of the square, the obelisk, the pope blessed the branches and at the end of the procession reaches the Sagrato, celebrated the Mass of the Lord's Passion. We publish below the homily the Holy Father pronounced after the proclamation of the Lord's Passion according to Matthew.
*****
Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanying festively extend the garments before him, he speaks of the wonders he has done, rises a cry of praise: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest "(Lk 19:38). Crowd, party, praise, blessing, peace. It exudes an atmosphere of joy. Jesus has aroused so much hope in the heart, especially among the humble, simple, poor, forgotten, that does not count in the eyes of the world. He has understood human misery, has shown the face of God's mercy, has tended to heal the body and soul. This is Jesus. This is the heart that sees us all, watching our diseases, our sins. Great is the love of Jesus. And now enters Jerusalem with this love, and we look at all. It's a beautiful scene, full of light, the light of Jesus' love, of joy, of celebration.
At the beginning of Mass, we too have repeated. We've shaken our palms. We too have accepted Jesus: and we have expressed the joy of accompanying him, to know that we are near, present in us and among us as a friend, as a brother, as well as king, ie as a beacon light our lives. Jesus is God and has been lowered to walk with us. It is our friend, our brother. This throws light on the road. And so today we have received. And this is the first word I want to say: joy. Do not be ever men sad women: a Christian can never be. Never ever let yourselves be overcome by discouragement. Our joy is not something that comes from having so many things, but comes to have found a person, Jesus, who is among us, born of the knowledge that, with him, we are never alone, even in difficult times, even when the path of life encounter problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable and there are so many! And now comes the enemy, the devil often masked and insidiously angel tells us his word. Do not listen, follow Jesus. We accompany, follow Jesus, but above all we know he is with us and carries us on his shoulders: in this lies our joy, we hope to bring in this world of ours. And please, do not be stealing hope, do not be stealing the hope that Jesus gives us.
And the second word. Why Jesus enters Jerusalem? Or, perhaps better, how does Jesus in Jerusalem? The crowd acclaimed him as king. And he does not, not silenced (cf. Lk 19.39 to 40). But what kind of king is Jesus? Look at it: on a donkey, not a court that follows, it is surrounded by an army, symbol of strength. Welcomes people who are humble, simple. That makes sense to see in Jesus something more. That said this is the Savior. Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honors reserved for the kings of the earth, who has power, who dominates; login to be whipped, insulted and outraged, as announced in the First Reading Isaiah (cf. Is 50, 6), comes to receive a crown of thorns, unacaña, a purple robe: his kingship will be mocked; comes to loading up a tree at Calvary. And so, here is the second word cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem to die on the cross. And it is precisely here that shines his being king after God: his royal throne is the wood of the cross. I think of what Benedict XVI told cardinals: ye princes, but a crucified King. That is the throne of Jesus. Jesus takes upon him. Why the cross? Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the dirt, the sin of the world, including ours, all of us and wash it, wash it with their blood, with mercy, with love of God. Look around: how many wounds inflicted evil to mankind! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that crash onto the weakest, the thirst for money, which can then lead to none other, you should quit. My grandmother would tell us kids, "the shroud has no pockets." Love of money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation. And also, each of us knows and knows our personal sins: the lack of love and respect for God, neighbor and all creation. Jesus on the cross feel all the weight of evil, and in the power of God's love conquers, defeat him in his resurrection. This is the good that Jesus makes all of us on the throne of the cross. The cross of Christ has never embraced with love sadness, but the joy, the joy of being saved and doing a bit of what has made him the day he died.
Today are many young people in this square: 28 years, Palm Sunday is Youth Day. And this is the third word: youth. Dear young people, I imagine partying around Jesus, waving olive branches, I guess while you express aclamáis your name and the joy of being with him. You have an important part in the celebration of faith. You bring us the joy of faith and we say that we have to live the faith with a young heart, always, even at seventy, eighty years. With Christ's heart never grows old. But we all know, and you know this well, that King whom we follow and accompanies us is a very special King: is a King who loves to cross and which teaches us to serve, to love. And you are not ashamed of his cross. Moreover, because you realize that you embrace the true joy is in the gift of self and God has triumphed over evil precisely in love. You carry the cross pilgrimage through all continents, mundo.La bear tracks at the invitation of Jesus: "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19), which is the theme of the Day World Youth Day this year. The bear to tell everyone that, on the cross, Jesus broke down the wall of enmity that separates men and peoples, and has brought peace and reconciliation. Dear friends, I also get on track with you today in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Now we are close to the next stage of the great pilgrimage of the Cross. I wait with joy the coming July in Rio de Janeiro. I give quotes in the great city of Brazil. Prepare well, especially spiritually in your communities, that this meeting is a sign of faith to the world. Young people need to tell the world: it is good to follow Jesus, it's good to go with Jesus, it's good the message of Jesus is good out of himself to the peripheries of the world and of existence to bring Jesus. Three words: joy, Cross youth.
Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary. She taught us the joy of the encounter with Christ, the love with which we look at the foot of the cross, the enthusiasm of the young heart with which we follow in this Easter and throughout our lives. Amen.
VATICAN CITY, March 24, 2013 (Zenit.org) - At 9:30 today the Holy Father Francisco presided in St. Peter's Square the solemn liturgy of Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord. At the center of the square, the obelisk, the pope blessed the branches and at the end of the procession reaches the Sagrato, celebrated the Mass of the Lord's Passion. We publish below the homily the Holy Father pronounced after the proclamation of the Lord's Passion according to Matthew.
*****
Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanying festively extend the garments before him, he speaks of the wonders he has done, rises a cry of praise: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest "(Lk 19:38). Crowd, party, praise, blessing, peace. It exudes an atmosphere of joy. Jesus has aroused so much hope in the heart, especially among the humble, simple, poor, forgotten, that does not count in the eyes of the world. He has understood human misery, has shown the face of God's mercy, has tended to heal the body and soul. This is Jesus. This is the heart that sees us all, watching our diseases, our sins. Great is the love of Jesus. And now enters Jerusalem with this love, and we look at all. It's a beautiful scene, full of light, the light of Jesus' love, of joy, of celebration.
At the beginning of Mass, we too have repeated. We've shaken our palms. We too have accepted Jesus: and we have expressed the joy of accompanying him, to know that we are near, present in us and among us as a friend, as a brother, as well as king, ie as a beacon light our lives. Jesus is God and has been lowered to walk with us. It is our friend, our brother. This throws light on the road. And so today we have received. And this is the first word I want to say: joy. Do not be ever men sad women: a Christian can never be. Never ever let yourselves be overcome by discouragement. Our joy is not something that comes from having so many things, but comes to have found a person, Jesus, who is among us, born of the knowledge that, with him, we are never alone, even in difficult times, even when the path of life encounter problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable and there are so many! And now comes the enemy, the devil often masked and insidiously angel tells us his word. Do not listen, follow Jesus. We accompany, follow Jesus, but above all we know he is with us and carries us on his shoulders: in this lies our joy, we hope to bring in this world of ours. And please, do not be stealing hope, do not be stealing the hope that Jesus gives us.
And the second word. Why Jesus enters Jerusalem? Or, perhaps better, how does Jesus in Jerusalem? The crowd acclaimed him as king. And he does not, not silenced (cf. Lk 19.39 to 40). But what kind of king is Jesus? Look at it: on a donkey, not a court that follows, it is surrounded by an army, symbol of strength. Welcomes people who are humble, simple. That makes sense to see in Jesus something more. That said this is the Savior. Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honors reserved for the kings of the earth, who has power, who dominates; login to be whipped, insulted and outraged, as announced in the First Reading Isaiah (cf. Is 50, 6), comes to receive a crown of thorns, unacaña, a purple robe: his kingship will be mocked; comes to loading up a tree at Calvary. And so, here is the second word cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem to die on the cross. And it is precisely here that shines his being king after God: his royal throne is the wood of the cross. I think of what Benedict XVI told cardinals: ye princes, but a crucified King. That is the throne of Jesus. Jesus takes upon him. Why the cross? Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the dirt, the sin of the world, including ours, all of us and wash it, wash it with their blood, with mercy, with love of God. Look around: how many wounds inflicted evil to mankind! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that crash onto the weakest, the thirst for money, which can then lead to none other, you should quit. My grandmother would tell us kids, "the shroud has no pockets." Love of money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation. And also, each of us knows and knows our personal sins: the lack of love and respect for God, neighbor and all creation. Jesus on the cross feel all the weight of evil, and in the power of God's love conquers, defeat him in his resurrection. This is the good that Jesus makes all of us on the throne of the cross. The cross of Christ has never embraced with love sadness, but the joy, the joy of being saved and doing a bit of what has made him the day he died.
Today are many young people in this square: 28 years, Palm Sunday is Youth Day. And this is the third word: youth. Dear young people, I imagine partying around Jesus, waving olive branches, I guess while you express aclamáis your name and the joy of being with him. You have an important part in the celebration of faith. You bring us the joy of faith and we say that we have to live the faith with a young heart, always, even at seventy, eighty years. With Christ's heart never grows old. But we all know, and you know this well, that King whom we follow and accompanies us is a very special King: is a King who loves to cross and which teaches us to serve, to love. And you are not ashamed of his cross. Moreover, because you realize that you embrace the true joy is in the gift of self and God has triumphed over evil precisely in love. You carry the cross pilgrimage through all continents, mundo.La bear tracks at the invitation of Jesus: "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19), which is the theme of the Day World Youth Day this year. The bear to tell everyone that, on the cross, Jesus broke down the wall of enmity that separates men and peoples, and has brought peace and reconciliation. Dear friends, I also get on track with you today in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Now we are close to the next stage of the great pilgrimage of the Cross. I wait with joy the coming July in Rio de Janeiro. I give quotes in the great city of Brazil. Prepare well, especially spiritually in your communities, that this meeting is a sign of faith to the world. Young people need to tell the world: it is good to follow Jesus, it's good to go with Jesus, it's good the message of Jesus is good out of himself to the peripheries of the world and of existence to bring Jesus. Three words: joy, Cross youth.
Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary. She taught us the joy of the encounter with Christ, the love with which we look at the foot of the cross, the enthusiasm of the young heart with which we follow in this Easter and throughout our lives. Amen.
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