杏MAP导航

By Francesca Merlo

Addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter鈥檚 Square for his weekly General Audience, 杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on the Passion of the Lord that we heard on Palm Sunday, and in particular, on the final words of the gospel passage: 鈥淭hey sealed the stone鈥�.

The Holy Father noted that everything seemed over and that, for the disciples, the boulder signified the final end of their hope. The Teacher was crucified, killed in the cruelest and most humiliating manner, hung upon the infamous gallows outside the city 鈥� a public failure, the worst possible ending.

The 杏MAP导航 recalled that, today, this discouragement seems normal as we too have gloomy thoughts and frustrating feelings. 鈥淓ven today, hope sometimes seems to be sealed behind the stone of mistrust,鈥� said the 杏MAP导航.

New beginning in the Cross

The Holy Father then went on to note that there was one image which remained fixed in the minds of the disciples, 鈥渢he cross鈥�.

鈥淭hat is where the end of everything was centered,鈥� he explained. However, he continued, 鈥渋n a little while, they would discover a new beginning right there, in the cross.鈥�

鈥淭his is how God鈥檚 hope germinates,鈥� explained the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渋t is born and reborn in the black holes of our disappointed expectations 鈥� and hope, instead, never disappoints.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis then used the cross as an example of this, saying that 鈥渙ut of the most terrible instrument of torture, God wrought the greatest sign of His love.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis then encouraged Christians to look to the cross as the 鈥渢ree of life鈥�, so that we might be healed of that sadness that makes us ill.

God was stripped

Just as the Son of God was stripped and humiliated, we too find it difficult 鈥渢o bare ourselves, to be truthful鈥� and instead 鈥渨e adorn ourselves with appearances, unnecessary things.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis stressed that 鈥渨ill not find peace this way鈥�. Rather, we must return to the heart, to the essentials, to a simple life.

Jesus was wounded

杏MAP导航 Francis went on to note that Jesus was wounded on the cross.

鈥淭he cross displays the nails that pierce His hands and feet, His open side,鈥� but on top of the wounds in His body are those in His soul, added the 杏MAP导航. Alone and betrayed, even though He had committed no crime, Jesus was placed in the middle of two criminals. 鈥淚n what way does this help our hope?鈥� asked the 杏MAP导航.

Sorrow to love

We too are wounded, said the 杏MAP导航, adding, 鈥渨ho isn鈥檛 in life?鈥�

But God does not hide His wounds from us, 鈥淗e shows them so we can see that a new passage can be opened with Easter: to make of our own wounds, flowers of light.鈥�

Jesus loves, continued the 杏MAP导航, and 鈥渢hus He converts evil into good; thus He transforms sorrow into love.鈥�

Allow our wounds to heal

Bringing his catechesis to an close, 杏MAP导航 Francis encouraged the faithful following his General Audience to unite their wounds to those of Jesus 鈥渟o that my wounds too might become luminous.鈥�

We must dry the tears of others, take care of what others are lacking, bend over those who suffer and then our wounds can become springs of hope, he said.

Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we should care for those who suffer and 鈥渨hen, instead of being thirsty for love, we quench the thirst of those in need of us.鈥�

Finally, 杏MAP导航 Francis asked that during these holy days we might 鈥渄raw near the Crucified One鈥�, gaze upon Him, wounded, and 鈥減lace our wounds in His. Let us let Jesus regenerate hope in us.鈥�