Papal Homilies
Palm Sunday (A)
Do Not be Ashamed of the Cross
MARCH 24, 2013 | 28th WORLD YOUTH DAY MASS
Palm Sunday (A)
Today in this Square, there are many young people: for twenty-eight years Palm Sunday has been World Youth Day! This is our third word: youth! Dear young people, I saw you in the procession as you were coming in; 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, always: a young heart, even at the age of seventy or eighty. Dear young people! 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, in emerging from ourselves that we have true joy and that, with his love, God conquered evil.
In another homily on this passage on Palm Sunday in 2018, he emphasized the humility of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, stating that “he did not mount a chariot, He was not surrounded by a court of soldiers but He had only a few of His disciples, and the humble people who followed Him.” Pope Francis also highlighted the faith of the people who greeted Jesus with palm branches and praised him, and he urged his listeners to follow their example of faith.
SOURCE: The Holy See Archive at the Vatican Website © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Pope Benedict XVI
The Great Doorway Leading into Holy Week
APRIL 1, 2012 | 27TH WORLD YOUTH DAY HOMILY (YEAR B)
Palm Sunday (A)
Palm Sunday is the great doorway leading into Holy Week, the week when the Lord Jesus makes his way towards the culmination of his earthly existence. He goes up to Jerusalem in order to fulfil the Scriptures and to be nailed to the wood of the Cross, the throne from which he will reign for ever, drawing to himself humanity of every age and offering to all the gift of redemption. We know from the Gospels that Jesus had set out towards Jerusalem in company with the Twelve, and that little by little a growing crowd of pilgrims had joined them. Saint Mark tells us that as they were leaving Jericho, there was a “great multitude” following Jesus (cf. 10:46).
On the final stage of the journey, a particular event stands out, one which heightens the sense of expectation of what is about to unfold and focuses attention even more sharply upon Jesus. Along the way, as they were leaving Jericho, a blind man was sitting begging, Bartimaeus by name. As soon as he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing, he began to cry out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mk 10:47). People tried to silence him, but to no avail; until Jesus had them call him over and invited him to approach. “What do you want me to do for you?”, he asked. And the reply: “Master, let me receive my sight” (v. 51). Jesus said: “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” Bartimaeus regained his sight and began to follow Jesus along the way (cf. v. 52). And so it was that, after this miraculous sign, accompanied by the cry “Son of David”, a tremor of Messianic hope spread through the crowd, causing many of them to ask: this Jesus, going ahead of us towards Jerusalem, could he be the Messiah, the new David? And as he was about to enter the Holy City, had the moment come when God would finally restore the Davidic kingdom?
Pope Benedict XVI also focused on the themes of humility and faith in a homily on this passage in 2006. He pointed out that Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem marked the beginning of his journey to the cross, where he would be humbled and die for the sins of humanity. Pope Benedict also highlighted the faith of the people who followed Jesus, and he emphasized the importance of having faith in God’s plan, even when it seems difficult or uncertain. Below, you will find an excerpt from a homily he gave for 27th WORLD YOUTH DAY MASS in 2013.
SOURCE: The Holy See Archive at the Vatican Website © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
St. Pope John Paul II
The Fidelity of Christ
MARCH 24, 2002 | 17TH WORLD YOUTH DAY HOMILY (YEAR A)
Palm Sunday (A)
The Passion narrative points out the fidelity of Christ, contrasted with human infidelity. In the hour of his trial, while the disciples and even Peter abandon Jesus (cf. Mt 26,56), He remains faithful, willing to pour out his blood to bring to fulfilment the mission the Father has entrusted to him. Beside him is Mary, silent and suffering.
Dear young people! Learn from Jesus and from his and our Mother. The real strength of a man lies in the fidelity of his witness to the truth and in his resisting flattery, threats, misunderstandings, blackmail, even harsh and relentless persecution. This is the path on which our Redeemer calls us to follow him.
Only if you are ready to do this, will you become what Jesus expects of you, that is, “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Mt 5,13-14). As you know, this is the theme for the coming World Youth Day. The image of salt “reminds us that, through Baptism, our whole being has been profoundly changed, because it has been “seasoned’ with the new life which comes from Christ (cf. Rom 6,4)” (Message for the 17th World Youth Day, n. 2).
Dear young people, do not lose your flavour as Christians, the flavour of the Gospel! Keep it alive by meditating constantly on the Easter Mystery: may the Cross be your school of wisdom. Boast of nothing else save this sublime throne of truth and love.
In another homily, Pope John Paul II reflected on the significance of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem for our own lives. He emphasized that “Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem does not only commemorate an event of the past but it is also a challenge to the present and the future.” Pope John Paul II encouraged his listeners to deepen their faith in Christ and to be open to the hope that comes with following Him.