BEFORE we look forward to Easter Sunday, we are given a week-long final reminder of the implications of Christ’s Resurrection, from the cross to our daily lives.
Far more than the happy ending is the journey we must all share with God’s only begotten son.
Last Sunday, newly installed Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to be filled with joy because Jesus conquered evil and every sin with the force of God’s love.
“Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love he conquers it, he defeats it with his resurrection,” he declared during the celebration of the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
In his reflection, the pontiff emphasized three important words: Joy, Cross and Youth.
“Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them,” the pope said during his homily.
“Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbor and towards the whole of creation,” he said relating to Christ’s sacrifice to ward off evil, the filth and sin of the world — including our own.
He dedicated the final words of his homily to the youth. He called on the young Catholics to persevere and be inspired by the life of Christ and share the faith through the dynamism of youth.
“Dear young people, you have an important part in the celebration of faith! You bring us the joy of faith and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always, even at the age of seventy or eighty,” he said.
Meanwhile, fresh from his trip from the Vatican, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle also led a Palm Sunday Mass to kick off the Holy Week.
Tagle told Filipino Catholics that in order to defeat evil, one must follow suit in Christ’s examples — to emulate his goodness and innocence.
“How can we defeat it? By being innocent like Jesus… which means that you don’t plan anything that will hurt others. Your goodness will defeat evil. Let’s journey with Him (Christ) in our everyday life by being innocent, charitable, and doers righteous,” he shared.
The cardinal also led the blessing of the palms in commemoration of Christ’s entry to Jerusalem, when people welcomed him with palm fronds.
Beginning February 13 (Ash Wednesday), for forty days Catholics are encouraged to observe the period of Lent.
This season is a time for fasting, self-denial and prayers in preparation for the coming of Easter. It is during this season that penance is made clear, offering one’s self deep in introspection—in imitation of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity’s sake.
The pedantic traditions during these times are a means of creating order in the chaos of our lives.
Throughout the year, we hear calls for moral revolution and transformation, but for most people they only remain as such: calls. This week, we are granted a few days in the calendar to shun all negativity and find a blissful life amidst endless stories of adversity.
(AJPress)
