VATICAN CITY, 28 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Young people from all over the world this morning participated in the Palm Sunday Eucharistic celebration presided by the Pope in St. Peter's Square. Today also marks 25th World Youth Day, celebrated this year at a diocesan level on the theme : "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Before Mass, Benedict XVI blessed the palms and olive branches by the obelisk in the square then led the procession to the altar.
In his homily the Holy Father explained that "to be Christian means to believe that the way of Jesus Christ is the right way to be human, the way that leads to the goal of a completely fulfilled and authentic humanity".
Addressing himself in particular to the young he said that "to be Christian is a way, or rather it is a pilgrimage, a journey with Jesus Christ. It is to go in the direction He showed us, and continues to show us.
"But", the Pope added, "what direction is that? How can we find it?". The Gospel, he said, "offers us two clues. In the first place it says that it is an ascent. ... Jesus walks before us, He climbs towards the heights. He leads us to what is great and pure, He leads us to the healthy air of the heights, to a life lived according to truth, to the courage that does not allow itself to be intimidated by the chatter of dominant opinion, to the patience that bears with and sustains others".
Benedict XVI went on: "In the breadth of Jesus' ascent the dimensions of our own discipleship, the goal to which He wishes to lead us, become apparent: the heights of God, communion with God, being-with-God. This is the true goal, and communion with Him is the way. Communion with Christ is a journey, a permanent ascent towards the heights of our calling. To walk with Christ is at the same time to journey in the 'us' of those who want to follow Him".
"We are then, so to say, on the same 'expedition' as Jesus Christ, we are with Him in the climb to the heights of God. He pulls us up and supports us. Part of the discipleship of Christ is allowing ourselves to join this expedition, to accept that we cannot manage alone".
"Being together on expedition also involves not behaving as masters of the Word of God, not chasing after an erroneous idea of emancipation. The humility of 'being-with' is an essential part of the ascent", said Benedict XVI. "Another aspect thereof is allowing the Lord, in the Sacraments, to take us by the hand; allowing ourselves to be purified and corroborated by Him, and accepting the discipline of the ascent even if we are tired".
"And part of the ascent to the heights of Jesus Christ, the ascent to the heights of God Himself, is the Cross. Just as in the things of this world we cannot achieve great results without sacrifice and hard work, just as joy for a great academic discovery or for an authentic practical skill is associated with discipline and with the effort of learning, so too the way to life itself, to fulfilling our humanity, is linked to communion with the One Who climbed to the heights of God through the Cross. In the final instance, the Cross is the expression of what love means: only he who loses himself can find himself".
The Holy Father went on: "Our pilgrimage as disciples of Christ does not, then, lead to some earthly city, but towards the new City of God which arises in the midst of this world. And yet the pilgrimage to the earthly Jerusalem can also be, for us as Christians, a useful element for that greater journey".
Recalling the greeting uttered by pilgrims as they enter the Holy City - "peace on earth and glory in the highest" - Benedict XVI concluded by asking the Lord "to bring us heaven: the glory of God and peace among men. We understand that greeting in the spirit of the request contained in the Lord's prayer: 'your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. We know that heaven is heaven, a place of glory and peace because there the will of God has complete reign. And we know the earth will not be heaven until the will of God is accomplished here".
HML/PALM SUNDAY/... VIS 20100329 (760)
Before Mass, Benedict XVI blessed the palms and olive branches by the obelisk in the square then led the procession to the altar.
In his homily the Holy Father explained that "to be Christian means to believe that the way of Jesus Christ is the right way to be human, the way that leads to the goal of a completely fulfilled and authentic humanity".
Addressing himself in particular to the young he said that "to be Christian is a way, or rather it is a pilgrimage, a journey with Jesus Christ. It is to go in the direction He showed us, and continues to show us.
"But", the Pope added, "what direction is that? How can we find it?". The Gospel, he said, "offers us two clues. In the first place it says that it is an ascent. ... Jesus walks before us, He climbs towards the heights. He leads us to what is great and pure, He leads us to the healthy air of the heights, to a life lived according to truth, to the courage that does not allow itself to be intimidated by the chatter of dominant opinion, to the patience that bears with and sustains others".
Benedict XVI went on: "In the breadth of Jesus' ascent the dimensions of our own discipleship, the goal to which He wishes to lead us, become apparent: the heights of God, communion with God, being-with-God. This is the true goal, and communion with Him is the way. Communion with Christ is a journey, a permanent ascent towards the heights of our calling. To walk with Christ is at the same time to journey in the 'us' of those who want to follow Him".
"We are then, so to say, on the same 'expedition' as Jesus Christ, we are with Him in the climb to the heights of God. He pulls us up and supports us. Part of the discipleship of Christ is allowing ourselves to join this expedition, to accept that we cannot manage alone".
"Being together on expedition also involves not behaving as masters of the Word of God, not chasing after an erroneous idea of emancipation. The humility of 'being-with' is an essential part of the ascent", said Benedict XVI. "Another aspect thereof is allowing the Lord, in the Sacraments, to take us by the hand; allowing ourselves to be purified and corroborated by Him, and accepting the discipline of the ascent even if we are tired".
"And part of the ascent to the heights of Jesus Christ, the ascent to the heights of God Himself, is the Cross. Just as in the things of this world we cannot achieve great results without sacrifice and hard work, just as joy for a great academic discovery or for an authentic practical skill is associated with discipline and with the effort of learning, so too the way to life itself, to fulfilling our humanity, is linked to communion with the One Who climbed to the heights of God through the Cross. In the final instance, the Cross is the expression of what love means: only he who loses himself can find himself".
The Holy Father went on: "Our pilgrimage as disciples of Christ does not, then, lead to some earthly city, but towards the new City of God which arises in the midst of this world. And yet the pilgrimage to the earthly Jerusalem can also be, for us as Christians, a useful element for that greater journey".
Recalling the greeting uttered by pilgrims as they enter the Holy City - "peace on earth and glory in the highest" - Benedict XVI concluded by asking the Lord "to bring us heaven: the glory of God and peace among men. We understand that greeting in the spirit of the request contained in the Lord's prayer: 'your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. We know that heaven is heaven, a place of glory and peace because there the will of God has complete reign. And we know the earth will not be heaven until the will of God is accomplished here".
HML/PALM SUNDAY/... VIS 20100329 (760)
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