He leads us to the readiness to give help to the goodness that does not let itself be disarmed, even by ingratitude. He leads us to stand loyally by the other, even when the situation becomes difficult. He guides people to be open towards the suffering, to those who are neglected. He leads us to that healthy air of the heights: to life in accordance with the truth to courage that does not let itself be intimidated by the gossip of prevalent opinions to patience that bears with and sustains the other. Jesus walks before us and towards the heights. He can flounder in the swamps of falsehood and dishonesty. He can also sink to the low and the vulgar. Man can choose an easy path and avoid every effort. But this external route is above all an image of the internal movement of existence that occurs in the following of Christ: it is an ascent to the true heights of being human. Jericho, where the last part of Jesus' pilgrimage began, is 250 metres below sea-level, whereas Jerusalem the destination is located at 740 to 780 metres above sea level: a climb of almost 1,000 metres. This has first of all a very concrete meaning. In the first place it says that it is an ascent. In a special way I would like to repeat to all young people on this 25th World Youth Day that being Christian is a path or, better, a pilgrimage it is to travel with Jesus Christ, to journey in the direction he has pointed out and is pointing out to us.īut what direction is this? How do we find it? Our Gospel passage offers two clues in this regard. Being Christian means considering the way of Jesus Christ as the right way for being human as that way which leads to our destination, to a completely fulfilled and authentic humanity. This clearly expresses the theme of Palm Sunday. At the very beginning of today's Liturgy, the Church anticipates her response to the Gospel saying: "Let us follow the Lord". The Gospel of the blessing of the palms that we have heard gathered here in St Peter's Square, begins with the sentence: " went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem" (Lk 19: 28). CELEBRATION OF PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD
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