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Papal preacher: Jesus calls everyone to repent, turn swords into plowshares [1]
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Date: 2023-01
VATICAN CITY — Jesus invites everyone to repent and to turn swords into plowshares and missiles into factories and homes, the papal preacher said.
"This year we celebrate Easter not to the joyful sound of bells, but with the noise in the ears of bombs and explosions not far from here," Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa said during the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion.
"There is only one way to escape the current of time that drags everything with it: to pass on to that which does not pass," that is, the promise and truth of Jesus Christ, the source of salvation, he said in his homily during the April 15 service in St. Peter's Basilica.
Presided over by Pope Francis, the service on Good Friday commemorates Christ's passion and death on the cross.
The pope began the rite after a silent procession down the central nave, where he stood in silent prayer before the main altar. Customarily, he would have knelt to lie prostrate on the floor in prayer, a sign of adoration and penance; however, he has been having ongoing difficulty with his knee.
During the veneration of the cross, after the homily, the pope wore a red chasuble and prayed in silence before kissing the cross and then holding it aloft for veneration. Because of safety measures in place to limit the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, the cross was then placed before the main altar for veneration from the pews, without people processing before the cross to genuflect and kiss Christ's feet.
Following tradition, the homily was delivered by Cardinal Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household.
He reflected on St. John's account of the dialogue between Jesus and Pontius Pilate and how "Jesus treats Pilate as a soul who needs light and truth, and not as a judge."
Jesus encourages Pilate to "come to his senses, to look at things with different eyes, to place himself above the momentary dispute with the Jews" and receive the truth, the cardinal said.
Even though Pilate understands Jesus' invitation, he is "skeptical and indifferent," he said. "The mystery he glimpses in Jesus' words frightens him," and Pilate ends the conversation, muttering to himself "What is truth?" before walking away.
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[1] Url:
https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/papal-preacher-jesus-calls-everyone-repent-turn-swords-plowshares
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