In his Easter message, Pope Francis also appeals for the Holy Land, Yemen, South Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela and the talks in Korea. The memory of persecuted Christians and children who have been victims of wars.
“But the glory of the cross led those who were blind through ignorance into light, loosed all who were held fast by sin, and ransomed the whole world of mankind.” – St. Cyril of Jerusalem
“Let us then not be ashamed of the cross of our Savior, but rather glory in it… For it was not a mere man who died for us, but the Son of God, God made man.” – St. Cyril of Jerusalem
The Christian woman unjustly condemned to death prays in prison with the rosary she received from the Pope. In Pakistan, Catholics live the liturgy of the Cross with special devotion.
Coena Domini and lavender of feet at the Regina Coeli Prison. “A punishment that is not open to hope is neither Christian nor human”. He reveals that he will have surgery for cataracts and invites detainees to a “new gaze” open to hope.
O Holy Spirit, teach me the value of suffering, so that I may esteem it and love it as a means of sanctification.
The Pope on Palm Sunday, “How hard it is for the comfortable and the self-righteous to understand mercy. No more hatred”. No to those who try to “twist reality and invent stories for their own benefit, and silence dissonant voices”
Perhaps the most under-appreciated feast of the general Calendar is the Solemn Feast of the Annunciation. Truly worthy of the title “First Class Feast,” for centuries it marked the first day of the year, connecting the civil calendar with the idea that, at the Incarnation, the world was born anew. Its import can be grasped easily by children when they learn that it falls exactly nine months before Christmas Day, placing the conception of the Christ Child nine months before his birth.
A Holy Gospel reflection for Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
This Palm Sunday, would you join in a simple yet revealing spiritual exercise? It involves plunging whole-heartedly into the Gospel and imagining yourself among the crowds that came to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem, and as it says in the Gospel of John, “to learn that Jesus is coming.”
Blessed are You, my Lord Jesus Christ. You foretold Your death and, at the Last Supper, You marvelously consecrated bread which became your precious body. And then,You gave it to your Apostles out of love as a memorial of Your most holy passion. By washing their feet with your holy hands, You gave them a supreme example of your deep humility.
