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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - N° 71
DATE 24-03-2013
Summary:
- FRANCIS ASKS FOR A HEART THAT FOLLOWS CHRIST ENTHUSIASTICALLY
- PALM SUNDAY HOMILY: WE MUST LIVE THE FAITH WITH A YOUNG HEART
- ANGLEUS: POPE WISHES YOUTH A GOOD JOURNEY TO WYD 2013
___________________________________________________________
FRANCIS ASKS FOR A HEART THAT FOLLOWS CHRIST ENTHUSIASTICALLY
Vatican City, 24 March 2013 (VIS) – More than 250 thousand people
gathered this morning to attend Palm Sunday Mass, which Pope Francis
celebrated in St. Peter's Square. For the thirteenth consecutive year, the
olive trees and branches that adorned
St. Peter's Square and were distributed to the faithful present were a gift
from the Puglia region of Italy. The floral design that decorated the altar
this year reflected the geography of the five continents: 60,000 olive
branches were mixed with
grasses and peach leaves, thyme, myrtle, ferns, strawberries, broom, lilies,
wallflowers, and celery-leaved buttercups. The two centuries-old olive trees
that were placed at the foot of the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul in the
square will be planted
in the Vatican Gardens after the Mass.
The celebration began at 9:15am with a procession of palm branches in which
620 persons—cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, children, and lay
persons—participated. Some 2,000 palm branches were brought in from the
Ligurian towns of San
Remo and Bordighera in Northern Italy, as has been the tradition now for five
centuries. The Pope entered the square while the choir and crowd sang the
Hosanna. After reaching the foot of the square's obelisk, the Pope blessed the
palms and olive
branches of those in the square.
The procession then continued to the altar on the Sagrato of the Basilica. The
Pope carried one of the three-metre long palm branches, which had been
artistically braided so as to represent the Holy Trinity. Concelebrating with
the Pope were: Cardinal
Agostino Vallini, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome; Cardinal Stanislaw
Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity; and, Archbishop
Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., vice gerent of the diocese of Rome.
The choir sang the Kyrie while the Pope venerated and incensed the altar. The
Liturgy of the Word included readings from Isaiah and St. Paul's Letter to the
Philippians. After the Gospel reading of the Passion, proclaimed by three
deacons, the Pope's
homily focused on three central aspects: Joy, the Cross, and Youth. His full
homily can be read below.
As part of the closing rites of the Mass, the Pope prayed the Angelus. Then,
re-entering the Vatican walls, the Pope took a long route through the square,
greeting those gathered and being especially attentive to the young and the
sick.
___________________________________________________________
PALM SUNDAY HOMILY: WE MUST LIVE THE FAITH WITH A YOUNG HEART
Vatican City, 24 March 2013 (VIS) – Following is the whole text of Pope
Francis' homily during the Palm Sunday Mass that begins the Holy Week
celebrations. The Holy Father commented on the World Youth Day that the entire
Church celebrates today,
asking that we live the faith “with a young heart”. The pontiff
urged the youth to “tell the world that it is good to follow
Christ!”
JOY
“Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in
festive mood, their garments are stretched out before him, there is talk of
the miracles he has accomplished, and loud praises are heard: 'Blessed is the
King who comes in the name
of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' (Lk 19:38).“
“Crowds, celebrating, praise, blessing, peace: joy fills the air. Jesus
has awakened great hopes, especially in the hearts of the simple, the humble,
the poor, the forgotten, those who do not matter in the eyes of the world. He
understands human
sufferings, he has shown the face of God’s mercy, he has bent down to
heal body and soul.”
“This is Jesus. This is his heart that looks upon all of us, who sees
our sicknesses, our sins. Jesus' love is great. And so He enters into
Jerusalem with this love and looks upon all of us. It is a beautiful scene,
full of light—the light
of the Jesus' love, of his heart—joy, and celebration.”
“At the beginning of Mass, we repeated all this. We waved our palms. We
also welcomed Jesus; we too expressed our joy at accompanying him, at knowing
him to be close, present in us and among us as a friend, a brother, and also
as a King: that is,
a shining beacon for our lives. Jesus is God but He lowered himself to walk
with us. He is our friend, our brother. He enlightens us along the journey.
And thus today we have welcomed him.”
“And this is the first word that I want to tell you: 'Joy!' Do not be
men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to
discouragement! Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but
it comes from having
encountered a Person, Jesus, who is among us. It comes 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! This is the moment when the enemy comes, when the devil, often times
dressed as an angel, comes and insidiously tells us his word. Don't listen to
him! Follow Jesus! We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that
he accompanies us
and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we
must bring to this world of ours. Please don't let him steal our hope. Don't
let him steal our hope, that hope that Jesus gives us.”
CROSS
“The second word. Why does Jesus enter Jerusalem? Or better: how does
Jesus enter Jerusalem? The crowds acclaim him as King. And he does not deny
it, he does not tell them to be silent (cf. Lk 19:39-40). But what kind of a
King is Jesus? Let us
take a look at him: He is riding on a donkey; He is not accompanied by a
court; He is not surrounded by an army as a symbol of power. He is received by
humble people, simple folk who had the sense to see something more in Jesus;
those with a sense of
faith that tells them: 'This is the Saviour. Jesus does not enter the Holy
City to receive the honours reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to
rulers. He enters to be scourged, insulted and abused, as Isaiah foretold in
the First Reading (cf. Is
50:6). He enters to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: his
kingship becomes an object of derision. He enters to climb Calvary, carrying
his burden of wood.”
“And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem in
order to die on the Cross. And it is here that his kingship shines forth in
godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the Cross! I think of what
Benedict XVI said to the
cardinals, 'You are princes, but of a crucified King.' That is Jesus' throne.
Jesus takes it upon himself... Why the Cross? Because Jesus takes upon himself
the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own sin—all of
us—and he
cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of
God. Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil!
Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money,
which none of us can take
with us, it must be left behind.”
Here the Pope added a personal note: “My grandmother used to tell us
children, 'A shroud has no pockets!'” Then he continued: “Loving
money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against
creation! And
also—each of us knows and recognizes—our personal sins: our
failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbour and towards
the whole of creation.”
“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.
This is the good that Jesus' does for all of us upon his throne of the Cross.
Christ’s Cross
embraced with love does not lead to sadness, but to joy! It leads to the joy
of being saved and of doing a little of what He did that day of his
death.”
YOUTH
“Today in this Square, there are many young people: for 28 years Palm
Sunday has been World Youth Day! This is our third word: Youth! Dear young
people, I saw you in the procession when you entered. I think of you
celebrating around Jesus, waving
your olive branches. I think of you crying out his name and expressing your
joy at being with him! 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,” and here he emphasized, “a young heart, always, even at
the age of seventy or eighty, a young heart. With Christ, the heart never
grows old!”
“Yet all of us, all of you know very well that the King whom we follow
and who accompanies us is very special: he is a King who loves even to the
Cross and who teaches us to serve and to love. And you are not ashamed of his
Cross! On the contrary,
you embrace it, because you have understood that it is in giving ourselves, in
giving ourselves and in going outside of ourselves, that we have true joy and
through God's love He has conquered evil. You carry the pilgrim Cross through
all the
Continents, along the highways of the world! You carry it in response to
Jesus’ call: “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19),
which is the theme of World Youth Day this year. You carry it so as to tell
everyone that on the
Cross Jesus knocked down the wall of enmity that divides people and nations,
and he brought reconciliation and peace.”
“Dear friends, I too am setting out on a journey with you today, in the
footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We are already close to
the next stage of this great pilgrimage of the Cross. I look forward joyfully
to this coming July
in Rio de Janeiro! I will see you in that great city in Brazil! Prepare well
in your communities—prepare spiritually above all—so that our
gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world.” Then, in
an unscripted
exhortation, the Pope called out: “Young persons, you must tell the
world that it's good to follow Jesus, that it's good to go with Jesus. Jesus'
message is good. It's good to go outside ourselves to the ends of the earth
and of existence to bring
Jesus! Three words: Joy, Cross, and Youth.”
“Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary. She teaches us the joy
of meeting Christ, the love with which we must look to the foot of the Cross,
the enthusiasm of the young heart with which we must follow him during this
Holy Week and
throughout our lives. May it be so.”
___________________________________________________________
ANGLEUS: POPE WISHES YOUTH A GOOD JOURNEY TO WYD 2013
Vatican City, 24 March 2013 (VIS) – At the end of this morning’s
Mass for Palm Sunday, and before praying the Angelus, the Pope called upon the
intercession of our Lady, particularly in favour of those suffering with
tuberculosis and young
persons.
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,” he began. “At the end of this
celebration, we invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that she may
accompany us during Holy Week. May she, who followed her Son with faith all
the way to Calvary, help us
to walk behind him, carrying his Cross with serenity and love, so as to attain
the joy of Easter. May Our Lady of Sorrows support especially those who are
experiencing difficult situations. My thoughts turn to the people afflicted
with tuberculosis, as
today is the World Day against this disease. To Mary I entrust especially you,
dear young people, and your path towards Rio de Janeiro: This July, Rio!
Prepare your hearts spiritually. May all of you have a good journey!”
Then, in several languages, Francis wished the youth joy on their journey.
___________________________________________________________
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VISnews130324
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXIII - N° 71 DATE 24-03-2013
Summary: - FRANCIS ASKS FOR A HEART THAT
FOLLOWS CHRIST
ENTHUSIASTICALLY - PALM SUNDAY HOMILY: WE MUST LIVE THE FAITH WITH A
YOUNG HEART - ANGLEUS: POPE WISHES YOUTH A GOOD JOURNEY TO WYD 2013
FRANCIS ASKS FOR A HEART THAT FOLLOWS CHRIST ENTHUSIASTICALLY
Vatican City, 24 March 2013 (VIS) – More than 250 thousand people
gathered this morning to attend Palm Sunday Mass, which Pope Francis
celebrated in St. Peter's Square. For the thirteenth consecutive year, the
olive trees and branches that
adorned St. Peter's Square and were distributed to the faithful present were a
gift from the Puglia region of Italy. The floral design that decorated the
altar this year reflected the geography of the five continents: 60,000 olive
branches were mixed
with grasses and peach leaves, thyme, myrtle, ferns, strawberries, broom,
lilies, wallflowers, and celery-leaved buttercups. The two centuries-old olive
trees that were placed at the foot of the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul in
the square will be
planted in the Vatican Gardens after the Mass.
The celebration began at 9:15am with a procession of palm branches in which
620 persons—cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, children, and lay
persons—participated. Some 2,000 palm branches were brought in from the
Ligurian towns of San
Remo and Bordighera in Northern Italy, as has been the tradition now for five
centuries. The Pope entered the square while the choir and crowd sang the
Hosanna. After reaching the foot of the square's obelisk, the Pope blessed the
palms and olive
branches of those in the square.
The procession then continued to the altar on the Sagrato of the Basilica.
The Pope carried one of the three-metre long palm branches, which had been
artistically braided so as to represent the Holy Trinity. Concelebrating with
the Pope were:
Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome; Cardinal
Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity; and,
Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., vice gerent of the diocese of Rome.
The choir sang the Kyrie while the Pope venerated and incensed the altar.
The Liturgy of the Word included readings from Isaiah and St. Paul's Letter to
the Philippians. After the Gospel reading of the Passion, proclaimed by three
deacons, the Pope's
homily focused on three central aspects: Joy, the Cross, and Youth. His full
homily can be read below.
As part of the closing rites of the Mass, the Pope prayed the Angelus.
Then, re-entering the Vatican walls, the Pope took a long route through the
square, greeting those gathered and being especially attentive to the young
and the sick.
PALM SUNDAY HOMILY: WE MUST LIVE THE FAITH WITH A YOUNG HEART
Vatican City, 24 March 2013 (VIS) – Following is the whole text of
Pope Francis' homily during the Palm Sunday Mass that begins the Holy Week
celebrations. The Holy Father commented on the World Youth Day that the entire
Church celebrates
today, asking that we live the faith “with a young heart”. The
pontiff urged the youth to “tell the world that it is good to follow
Christ!”
JOY
“Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in
festive mood, their garments are stretched out before him, there is talk of
the miracles he has accomplished, and loud praises are heard: 'Blessed is the
King who comes in the
name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' (Lk
19:38).“
“Crowds, celebrating, praise, blessing, peace: joy fills the air.
Jesus has awakened great hopes, especially in the hearts of the simple, the
humble, the poor, the forgotten, those who do not matter in the eyes of the
world. He understands
human sufferings, he has shown the face of God’s mercy, he has bent down
to heal body and soul.”
“This is Jesus. This is his heart that looks upon all of us, who sees
our sicknesses, our sins. Jesus' love is great. And so He enters into
Jerusalem with this love and looks upon all of us. It is a beautiful scene,
full of light—the
light of the Jesus' love, of his heart—joy, and celebration.”
“At the beginning of Mass, we repeated all this. We waved our palms.
We also welcomed Jesus; we too expressed our joy at accompanying him, at
knowing him to be close, present in us and among us as a friend, a brother,
and also as a King: that
is, a shining beacon for our lives. Jesus is God but He lowered himself to
walk with us. He is our friend, our brother. He enlightens us along the
journey. And thus today we have welcomed him.”
“And this is the first word that I want to tell you: 'Joy!' Do not be
men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to
discouragement! Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but
it comes from having
encountered a Person, Jesus, who is among us. It comes 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! This is the moment when the enemy comes, when the devil, often times
dressed as an angel, comes and insidiously tells us his word. Don't listen to
him! Follow Jesus! We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that
he accompanies us
and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we
must bring to this world of ours. Please don't let him steal our hope. Don't
let him steal our hope, that hope that Jesus gives
us.”
CROSS
“The second word. Why does Jesus enter Jerusalem? Or better: how does
Jesus enter Jerusalem? The crowds acclaim him as King. And he does not deny
it, he does not tell them to be silent (cf. Lk 19:39-40). But what kind of a
King is Jesus? Let us
take a look at him: He is riding on a donkey; He is not accompanied by a
court; He is not surrounded by an army as a symbol of power. He is received by
humble people, simple folk who had the sense to see something more in Jesus;
those with a sense of
faith that tells them: 'This is the Saviour. Jesus does not enter the Holy
City to receive the honours reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to
rulers. He enters to be scourged, insulted and abused, as Isaiah foretold in
the First Reading (cf. Is
50:6). He enters to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: his
kingship becomes an object of derision. He enters to climb Calvary, carrying
his burden of wood.”
“And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem
in order to die on the Cross. And it is here that his kingship shines forth in
godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the Cross! I think of what
Benedict XVI said to
the cardinals, 'You are princes, but of a crucified King.' That is Jesus'
throne. Jesus takes it upon himself... Why the Cross? Because Jesus takes upon
himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own
sin—all of us—and
he cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of
God. Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil!
Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money,
which none of us can
take with us, it must be left behind.”
Here the Pope added a personal note: “My grandmother used to tell us
children, 'A shroud has no pockets!'” Then he continued: “Loving
money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against
creation! And
also—each of us knows and recognizes—our personal sins: our
failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbour and towards
the whole of creation.”
“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.
This is the good that Jesus' does for all of us upon his throne of the Cross.
Christ’s
Cross embraced with love does not lead to sadness, but to joy! It leads to the
joy of being saved and of doing a little of what He did that day of his
death.”
YOUTH
“Today in this Square, there are many young people: for 28 years Palm
Sunday has been World Youth Day! This is our third word: Youth! Dear young
people, I saw you in the procession when you entered. I think of you
celebrating around Jesus,
waving your olive branches. I think of you crying out his name and expressing
your joy at being with him! 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,” and here he emphasized, “a young heart, always, even at
the age of seventy or eighty, a young heart. With Christ, the heart never
grows old!”
“Yet all of us, all of you know very well that the King whom we
follow and who accompanies us is very special: he is a King who loves even to
the Cross and who teaches us to serve and to love. And you are not ashamed of
his Cross! On the
contrary, you embrace it, because you have understood that it is in giving
ourselves, in giving ourselves and in going outside of ourselves, that we have
true joy and through God's love He has conquered evil. You carry the pilgrim
Cross through all the
Continents, along the highways of the world! You carry it in response to
Jesus’ call: “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19),
which is the theme of World Youth Day this year. You carry it so as to tell
everyone that on the
Cross Jesus knocked down the wall of enmity that divides people and nations,
and he brought reconciliation and peace.”
“Dear friends, I too am setting out on a journey with you today, in
the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We are already close
to the next stage of this great pilgrimage of the Cross. I look forward
joyfully to this coming
--- NetMgr/2 1.0y+
* Origin: NetMgr+ @ Sursum Corda! BBS Meridian MS USA (1:396/45)
