Francis’s health continues to improve as he recovers from the pneumonia that hospitalized him from February 14 to March 23. He made a brief public appearance after the conclusion of the Mass, giving much encouragement to the pilgrims at Saint Peter’s (and all the rest of us.).
The Pope's written homily was read aloud by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri during the Palm Sunday Mass. Here are some excerpts from Francis's text that can help us prepare in the coming days:
"Jesus comes to meet everyone, in every situation. When we see the great crowds of men and women whom hatred and violence are compelling to walk the road to Calvary, let us remember that God has made this road a place of redemption, for he walked it himself, giving his life for us... In our own day, [many people are] bearing the cross of Christ on their shoulders! Can we recognize them? Can we see the Lord in their faces, marred by the burden of war and deprivation? Faced with the appalling injustice of evil, we never carry the cross of Christ in vain; on the contrary, it is the most tangible way for us to share in his redemptive love.
"Jesus’ passion becomes compassion whenever we hold out our hand to those who feel they cannot go on, when we lift up those who have fallen, when we embrace those who are discouraged. Brothers and sisters, in order to experience this great miracle of mercy, let us decide how we are meant to carry our own cross during this Holy Week: if not on our shoulders, in our hearts. And not only our cross, but also the cross of those who suffer all around us; perhaps even the cross of some unknown person whom chance — but is it really chance? — has placed on our way."