Let us walk with faith into Holy Week…

During his Angelus Address, Pope Francis gave this exhortation this Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020, exactly one week before Easter Sunday, to faithful who were following his Mass via streaming.

Following the midday prayer in an almost empty St. Peter’s Basilica, without the presence of faithful, as Coronavirus concerns continue keeping most people locked down in their homes, Francis reminded that the Blessed Mother also walks with and sustains us.

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“Dear friends,” he said, “let us walk with faith into Holy Week, in which Jesus suffers, dies and rises.”

People and families who cannot participate in liturgical celebrations, Francis recognized, are invited to gather in prayer at home, made possible through technology.

“Let us cling spiritually to the sick, their families and those who treat them with self-sacrifice; let us pray for the deceased, in the light of the paschal faith. Everyone is present in our hearts, in our memory, in our prayer.”

“From Mary,” the Holy Father highlighted, “we learn interior silence, the gaze of the heart, the loving faith to follow Jesus on the way of the Cross, which leads to the glory of the Resurrection.

“She walks with us and supports our hope,” he said.

Below is the Vatican-provided text of Pope Francis’ Angelus Address:

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Angelus Address: On Palm Sunday and of the Passion of the Lord

“Let Us Walk with Faith in Holy Week, in Which Jesus Suffers, Dies and Rises”

Here is a ZENIT translation of the Pope Francis’ address, at the end of the Palm Sunday celebration in Saint Peter’s Basilica, before reciting the Angelus prayer and imparting the Apostolic Blessing.

Before the Angelus:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Before concluding this celebration, I wish to greet all those that have taken part through the means of social communication. In particular, my thought goes to the young people throughout the world, who are living in an unusual way, at the diocesan level, today’s World Youth Day. Planned for today was the handing of the Cross by the young people of Panama to those of Lisbon. This thought-provoking gesture has been deferred to next November 22, Sunday of Christ the King. While awaiting that moment, I exhort you, young people, to cultivate and witness the hope, the generosity <and> the solidarity of which we are all in need in this difficult time.

Tomorrow, April 6, is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, called by the United Nations. In this period, so many events have been suspended, but the best fruits of sport come out: endurance, team spirit, brotherhood, giving the best of oneself . . . Therefore, we re-launch sport for peace and development.

Dearest, let us walk with faith into Holy Week, in which Jesus suffers, dies and rises. The people and families that won’t be able to take part in the liturgical celebration are invited to recollect themselves in prayer at home, helped also by the technological means. Let us embrace the sick spiritually, their families and all those that care for them with such abnegation; let us pray for the dead in the light of paschal faith. Each one is present in our heart, in our remembrance and in our prayer. From Mary, we learn interior silence, the gaze of the heart, loving faith to follow Jesus on the way of the Cross, which leads to the glory of the Resurrection. She walks with us and sustains our hope.

[Original text: Italian]  [ZENIT’s translation by Virginia M. Forrester]

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