Reflection

Holy Week

This week is Holy Week. What does Holy Week 2023 mean for us? Pope Francis points us in the right direction. He made some points that are valuable for us to reflect on.

In his 2023 Palm Sunday Mass homily,  Pope Francis reflected on Christ's cry from the Cross: 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' "Those words bring us to the very heart of Christ’s Passion, the sufferings He endured for our salvation," the Pope said. Pope Francis explained that these were sufferings of the body, but also of the soul and of the spirit but that amid all these sorrows, Jesus remained certain of one thing: the closeness of the Father.   

The Pope asked those gathered to remember that "on the cross, even as he felt utter abandonment, Jesus refused to give in to despair; instead, he prayed and trusted, commending himself into the hands of the Father, despite the distance he felt."

"Brothers and sisters, a love like this, embracing us totally and to the very end, can turn our stony hearts into hearts of flesh, and make them capable of mercy, tenderness, and compassion", continued Pope Francis.  He explained that Christ, in his abandonment, "stirs us to seek him and to love him and those who are themselves abandoned".  

"So many people need our closeness, so many are abandoned," he added. And just as we all need the closeness of Jesus in our lives, we also must go out to find Jesus in the abandoned, those who are alone.

Holy Family of Nazareth – Be our inspiration and our guide.

Jesus of Nazareth – Help us to grow in faith, wisdom and knowledge.

For the full article on Pope Francis’ homily, see the link below:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-palm-sunday-mass-2-april-2023.html