Dear Parishioners and Friends,

During Palm Sunday we recall the triumphal entrance of Christ into Jerusalem. It is like a festively decorated gate leading us into Holy Week. This is the Passion Week of Our Lord Jesus Christ, during which the church directs our thoughts and hearts, our glances at the Cross of faith and hope, towards the Cross of the Redemption of man and the world. Palm Sunday reminds us of the shocking events: On one hand, we can admire the triumphal entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem, on the other hand we follow the tragedy of His Passion and Death on the Cross.
The process of returning man to God began. The story we learn through reading the Scripture, teaches us the realism of Christianity; it teaches us to wait for what is to happen, and at the same time, teaches us humility and love.
Today the readings, especially the Gospel, give us an image of the great tragedy and the great sacrifice of Jesus. It is the picture of the brutality and hypocrisy of the crowd and, on the other hand, the suffering of the Son asking for the salvation of the world. It is the picture of the Mother, half conscious because of grief and pain, disciples who are almost insane when they see the death of Jesus. And at the same time, it is the moment of the birth of Salvation for all mankind.
Jesus Christ also teaches us that the Eucharist is our food and ticket to eternal life: “For this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father “(Mt 26: 28-29).
By introducing us directly to the climate of Holy Week, the Gospel reports the course of the entire Mystery of the Passion and Death of Jesus, emphasizing the enormous burden of responsibility. The choice of the death on the cross for our sins, and consequently our salvation, results from the great Love for us, the people, and from the extraordinary obedience to God the Father. This obedience is evident at any moment, from judgment, through whipping, the way to Golgotha, to Death on the Cross.
I invite all to a deeper experience of Holy Week and Sunday of the Resurrection, through participation with love, gratitude and openness in the Liturgy of the Paschal Triduum and Masses. I thank all the priests, religious sisters, all the workers of our parish, volunteers and brothers and sisters in Christ for your witness of faith and love in your daily life. To all parishioners, thank you for your kindness and generosity with which you support the parish. Especially Easter donations help us to make up for deficiencies in the budget of the parish. Let us all experience these feasts in the spirit of faith, hope, love and mutual benevolence.

God bless!