THE ACT of surrendering is not a sign of weakness nor defeat, but is a manifestation of Christ’s love for humanity, Cardinal Jose Advincula said during Palm Sunday Mass at the Manila Cathedral on March 29.
The Manila Archbishop told Catholics that surrendering is a freeing act and that imitating Christ’s actions would improve spiritual life.
“In the cross, we discover something deeper. The greatest act of love in human history is not an action, but a surrender. Jesus surrenders Himself entirely in love,” Advincula said in his homily.
Often, people look up to those who are accomplished and do great things, but Jesus’s passion is the opposite: greatness and love are not measured by what was done, but by what people are willing to endure for the sake of others, he said.
“To fall into the hands of God, to surrender ourselves completely to him, is not defeat. It is the beginning of redemption. The Father transforms the cross into the path of salvation,” Advincula said.
He urged the faithful to lift their personal “crosses” to God and allow him to help alleviate their suffering and turn it into “salvation.”
“God can take even the darkest moments of human life, betrayal, injustice, suffering, abandonment, and transform them into instruments of grace,” he said.
‘King of Peace’
Pope Leo XIV extolled Jesus as “King of Peace” in his homily during Palm Sunday rites at St. Peter’s Square.
The pontiff said those who “wage war” must emulate Jesus, who remained “steadfast in meekness, while others are stirring up violence.”
“This is our God: Jesus, king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them,” the Pope said, referencing the Book of Isaiah, which states: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.”
In the modern world, there is a “crucified humanity,” with those who are unhopeful, sick, and lonely, he said.
“Above all, we hear the painful groans of all those who are oppressed by violence and are victims of war. Christ, cries out again from his cross: Have mercy. Lay down your weapons,” Pope Leo concluded.
The Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion marks the beginning of the Holy Week, and commemorates Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, where he was accompanied by a crowd waving palm branches and laying down garments. Yuvshenka Andrea R. Osea
