In his Palm Sunday homily, Pope Francis urged the
congregation to consider how their actions and attitudes reflected the various
characters in the story of Jesus’ passion and death.
“We have heard the (Gospel reading of the) Passion of the
Lord. Only, it does us good to ask a question: Who am I? Who am I before my
Lord? Who am I before Jesus who enters festively into Jerusalem?” the Pope said
on April 13.
“This week moves towards the mystery of the death of Jesus
and of his resurrection,” noted the pontiff. “Where is my heart and which of
these persons am I most like? It is this question that accompanies us
throughout the week.”
The crowds filled a sunny St. Peter’s Square to attend the
papal liturgy, clutching olive branches and woven palms as they listened to
Pope Francis reflect on the different persons in the Gospel.
Departing entirely from his prepared remarks, the Holy
Father considered each figure in the story, followed by questions about their
relation to Jesus.
First, the Gospel recounts Jesus’ triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, where he is welcomed by adoring crowds. “Do I have the capacity to
express my joy, to praise him? Or do I move away? Who am I, before Jesus who
suffers?” queried the pontiff.
Then, there are several groups of leaders, priests,
pharisees, and teachers of law who decide to kill Jesus. “Am I like one of
them?”
“Am I like Judas, who pretends to love and kisses the master
to hand him over, to betray him? Am I a traitor?” he reflected.
“Or am I like the disciples who did not understand what it
was to betray Jesus?” The Pope continued. They “did not understand
anything...they fell asleep while the Lord suffered. Is my life asleep?”
The pontiff went on to several other figures, including
Pontius Pilate, who saw that “the situation was difficult” and decided to “wash
his hands of it,” refusing to “assume responsibility.”
The crowd who had once welcomed Jesus so joyfully turned on
him, finding it “more amusing” to “humiliate Jesus,” while the soldiers “spit
on him, insulted him.”
When Jesus takes up his cross, more compassionate figures
emerge. “Am I like Simon of Cyrene who was returning from work, tired, but had
the good will to to help the Lord carry the cross?” asked the Holy Father.
“Am I like to courageous women, and like the mother of
Jesus, who were there, suffering in silence?”
“Am I like the two Marys who remained in front of the tomb,
weeping, praying?”
After his homily, the Pope continued the Mass but concluded
with a special welcome to those gathered in Rome to plan the next World Youth
Day.
At the close of the liturgy, several Brazilian youth handed
off the large wooden cross used at World Youth Day to young people from Poland.
The 2013 event had been held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while the next
gathering in 2016 will be in Krakow, Poland.
Pope Francis noted that Blessed John Paul II had entrusted
the cross to youth 30 years ago. “He asked them to carry it in all the world as
a sign of the love of Christ for humanity.”
The pontiff then announced that he hopes to meet with the
youth of Asia during his trip to Korea on August 15 of this year.
“Let us ask the Lord that the Cross, together with the icon
of Mary ‘Salus Populi Romani’ (Protectress of the Roman People), will be a sign
of hope for all, revealing to the world the invincible love of Christ,” said
the Holy Father.
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