Bildet over viser prosesjonen med palmegrener på Petersplassen i går. I sin preken – som i stor grad var retta til de mange ungdommene som var til stede, sa pave Benendikt bl.a.:
«Dear friends, the reason we are gathered here together» is that «we want to see Jesus.» He continued: «Millions of young people went to Sydney last year for this purpose. Certainly they had many expectations about this pilgrimage. But the main objective was this: We want to see Jesus.»
… … We touch the mystery, explained the Holy Father, of «God’s love, the only truth that is really redemptive.» He added, «We also touch the fundamental law, the constitutive norm of our life, that is, that without the ‘Yes’ of the cross, without walking in communion with Christ day after day, life can never be a success.»
Benedict XVI noted: «The more that, for the love of the great truth and the great love — for love of the truth and love of God — we can make some sacrifice, the greater and richer our life will become.
«He who wants to keep his life for himself will lose it. He who gives his life away — daily in small gestures, that are part of the great decision — will find it.
«This is the exigent truth, a truth that is also deeply beautiful and liberating, in which we want to enter, step by step, on the cross’ journey over the continents.»
Les mer av prekenen HER, og se flere bilder HER. Bildet under viser at paven og andre kneler under ordene «et emisit spiritum – og (Jesus) utåndet» under lesningen av lidelseshistorien – som er en del av Palmesøndagsmessen.
