Κυριακὴ τῶν Βαΐων

 

Anthony Bloom (Metropolitan of Sourozh (1914- 2003))

 

Εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος.

Σήμερα, τὴν ἡμέρα τῶν Βαΐων στεκόμαστε μὲ δέος καὶ θαυμασμὸ μπροστὰ σ’ αὐτὸ ποὺ συνέβη, στὸ πῶς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι δὲν μπόρεσαν νὰ συναντήσουν τὸν Χριστό, γιατί τὸν συνάντησαν μὲ τὴν φαντασία ὅτι Ἐκεῖνος εἶναι ἕνας ἔνδοξος βασιλιὰς ποὺ θὰ μποροῦσε νὰ ἀναλάβει τὴν ἐξουσία τώρα μὲ κάθε ἰσχύ, νὰ ἐπικρατήσει καὶ νὰ καταρρίψει τοὺς ἀλλόθρησκους, τοὺς Ρωμαίους ποὺ εἶχαν κατακτήσει τὴν χώρα τους, καὶ ποὺ θὰ μποροῦσε νὰ ἐπανιδρύσει ἕνα Βασίλειο, ἕνα ἐπὶ γῆς βασίλειο τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ξέρουμε ὅτι Ἐκεῖνος δὲν ἦρθε γι’ αὐτό, ἦρθε γιὰ νὰ ἱδρύσει ἕνα Βασίλειο ποὺ δὲν θὰ ἔχει τέλος, ἕνα βασίλειο αἰώνιο, ἕνα Βασίλειο ποὺ δὲν θὰ εἶναι ἀνοιχτὸ σ’ ἕνα ἔθνος, ἀλλὰ σὲ ὅλα τὰ ἔθνη, ἕνα βασίλειο ποὺ θὰ βασιζόταν στὴ ζωὴ καὶ τὸν θάνατο τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ποὺ ἔγινε υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

Ἡ Μ. Ἑβδομάδα εἶναι ἀπ’ τὴν ἀρχὴ ὥς τὸ τέλος μία περίοδος τρομερῆς σύγχυσης. Οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι συναντοῦν τὸν Χριστὸ στὶς πύλες τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπειδὴ περιμένουν ἀπὸ Ἐκεῖνον ἕναν θριαμβευτὴ στρατιωτικὸ ἡγέτη, ἀλλὰ Ἐκεῖνος θὰ ἔρθει γιὰ νὰ πλύνει τὰ πόδια τῶν μαθητῶν Του, νὰ δώσει τὴν ζωή Του γιὰ τὸν κόσμο, ἀλλὰ ὄχι γιὰ νὰ κατακτήσει μὲ βία καὶ δύναμη. Κι αὐτοί, οἱ ἴδιοι ἄνθρωποι ποὺ Τὸν πλησίαζαν φωνάζοντας « Ὡσαννά, Υἱὲ Δαυὶδ» σὲ λίγες μέρες θὰ φωνάξουν «Σταυρωθήτω, σταυρωθήτω» ἐπειδὴ πρόδωσε τὶς προσδοκίες τους. Αὐτοὶ προσδοκοῦσαν ἕναν ἐπίγειο νικητὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ποὺ βλέπουν εἶναι ἕνας νικημένος βασιλιάς. Τὸν μισοῦν γιὰ τὴν ματαίωση ὅλων τῶν ἐλπίδων τους.

Αὐτὸ δὲν εἶναι τόσο ξένο γιὰ μᾶς στὶς μέρες μας. Πόσοι εἶναι ἐκεῖνοι ποὺ ἀπομακρύνονται μὲ ἔχθρα ἀπὸ τὸν Χριστὸ γιατί τοὺς ἀπογοήτευσε στὴν μία ἢ στὴν ἄλλη ἐλπίδα τους. Θυμᾶμαι μία γυναίκα ποὺ ἦταν πιστὴ ὅλη τὴν ζωή της, καὶ ὅταν ὁ ἐγγονὸς της πέθανε- ἕνα μικρὸ ἀγόρι- μοῦ εἶπε: «Δὲν πιστεύω πιὰ στὸν Θεὸ· πῶς μπόρεσε νὰ μοῦ πάρει τὸν ἐγγονό μου;». Κι ἐγὼ τῆς εἶπα: «Ἄλλα πιστεύατε, ἐνῶ πέθαιναν χιλιάδες, μυριάδες ἄνθρωποι…» Μὲ κοίταξε καὶ μοῦ εἶπε: «Μὰ γιατί ἔγινε αὐτὸ σὲ μένα; Δὲν μ’ ἐνδιαφέρει, αὐτὰ δὲν ἦταν παιδιά μου».

Αὐτὸ εἶναι κάτι ποὺ συμβαίνει καὶ σὲ μᾶς σὲ μικρότερο βαθμὸ τόσο συχνὰ ποὺ ἀμφιταλαντευόμαστε στὴν πίστη μας, στὴν ἐμπιστοσύνη πρὸς τὸν Θεό, ὅταν κάτι ποὺ περιμένουμε ἀπὸ Ἐκεῖνον νὰ κάνει γιά μᾶς, δὲν γίνεται, ὅταν Ἐκεῖνος δὲν γίνεται ὁ Ὑπάκουος ὑπηρέτης μας, κι ὅταν προβάλλουμε τὴν ἐπιθυμία μας, Ἐκεῖνος δὲν λέει «Ἀμὴν» καὶ δὲν τὴν πραγματοποιεῖ. Ἄρα δὲν εἴμαστε τόσο ξένοι ἀπὸ ἐκείνους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ποὺ συνάντησαν τὸν Χριστὸ στὶς πύλες τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ μετὰ στράφηκαν μακριά Του.

Καὶ τώρα, μπαίνουμε στὴν Μ. Ἑβδομάδα. Πῶς ἀντικρίζουμε αὐτὰ τὰ γεγονότα; Νομίζω πὼς ὀφείλουμε νὰ μποῦμε στὴν Μ. Ἑβδομάδα ὄχι σὰν θεατές, ὄχι ἁπλὰ διαβάζοντας τὰ σχετικὰ ἀποσπάσματα τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, πρέπει νὰ μποῦμε σὰν νὰ εἴμαστε μέτοχοι τῶν γεγονότων, ἀλήθεια, διαβάζουμε γι’ αὐτά, ἀλλὰ θάπρεπε νὰ μπερδευτοῦμε μὲ τὸ πλῆθος ποὺ περιβάλλει τὸν Χριστὸ καὶ νὰ ρωτήσουμε τοὺς ἑαυτούς μας: «ποῦ βρίσκομαι μέσα σ΄αὐτὸ τὸ πλῆθος; Εἶμαι ἕνας ἀπ’ αὐτοὺς ποὺ λένε: «Ὡσαννά, Υἱὲ Δαυίδ»; Εἶμαι μήπως ἀπ’ τοὺς περιθωριακοὺς ποὺ κραυγάζουν «Σταύρωσον αὐτόν»; Εἶμαι κάποιος ἀπ’ τοὺς μαθητὲς ποὺ πίστευαν μέχρι τὴν ὥρα ποὺ ὁ ἔσχατος κίνδυνος φάνηκε νὰ ἔρχεται; Θυμάστε ὅτι στὸν κῆπο τῆς Γεσθημανῆ τρεῖς ἀπὸ τοὺς μαθητὲς εἶχαν ἐπιλεγεῖ γιὰ νὰ Τοῦ συμπαρασταθοῦν στὶς ὧρες τῆς ὑπέρτατης ἀγωνίας Του, ἀλλὰ δὲν τὸ ἔκαναν, ἦταν κουρασμένοι, εἶχαν χάσει τὸ θάρρος τους κι ἀποκοιμήθηκαν. Τρεῖς φορὲς ἦρθε σ’ αὐτούς, τρεῖς φορὲς ἦταν μακρυά Του.

Δὲν συναντᾶμε τὸν Χριστὸ κάτω ἀπ’ τὶς ἴδιες συνθῆκες, ἀλλὰ συναντᾶμε τόσους ἀνθρώπους ποὺ εἶναι σὲ ἀγωνία, ὄχι μόνο γιατί πεθαίνουν σωματικά, …κι αὐτὸ συμβαίνει σὲ φίλους, σὲ συγγενεῖς, σὲ ἀνθρώπους γύρω μας ποὺ ἀγωνιοῦν μὲ τὸν ἕνα ἢ τὸν ἄλλο τρόπο. Εἴμαστε ζωντανοί, γεμάτοι ἐνδιαφέρον γι’ αὐτούς, ἕτοιμοι νὰ τοὺς βοηθήσουμε, στεκόμαστε δίπλα τους, ἢ ἀποκοιμιόμαστε, ποὺ σημαίνει ἀποσυρόμαστε, γυρνᾶμε τὴν πλάτη, τοὺς ἀφήνουμε σὲ ἀγωνία, στὸν φόβο, στὴν ἀθλιότητά τους; Καὶ δὲν θὰ μιλήσω γιὰ τὸν Ἰούδα, γιατί κανένας μας δὲν ἔχει πρόθεση νὰ προδώσει τὸν Χριστὸ μ’ αὐτὸ τὸν τρόπο, ἀλλὰ δὲν τὸν προδίδουμε ὅταν ἀπομακρυνόμαστε ἀπὸ τὶς ἐντολές Του; Ὅταν λέει: «Σᾶς δίνω παράδειγμα, ν’ ἀκολουθήσετε..» κι ἐμεῖς κουνᾶμε τὰ κεφάλια μας καὶ λέμε: «Ὄχι θέλω μόνο ν’ ἀκολουθήσω τὶς ἐπιθυμίες τῆς καρδιᾶς μου.» Ἂς σκεφτοῦμε τὸν Πέτρο, τὸν δυνατότερο, ἐκεῖνον ποὺ μποροῦσε νὰ μιλᾶ ἐκ μέρους τῶν ὑπολοίπων, ὅταν ἔφθασε νὰ ριψοκινδυνεύσει τὴ ζωή του, ἢ μᾶλλον ὄχι τὴν ζωή του, ἁπλὰ ν’ ἀπορριφθεῖ, γιατί κανεὶς δὲν θέλησε νὰ τὸν σκοτώσει, ἀρνήθηκε τὸν Χριστὸ τρεῖς φορές.

Ἐμεῖς τί κάνουμε, ὅταν ἔχουμε τέτοια πρόκληση, ὅταν κινδυνεύουμε νὰ μᾶς κοροϊδέψουν, νὰ γελοιοποιθοῦμε, νὰ μᾶς ἀπομονώσουν φίλοι καὶ γνωστοὶ ποὺ σηκώνουν τοὺς ὤμους καὶ λένε: «Ἄ, Χριστιανός; Καὶ πιστεύεις ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς εἶναι Θεός, πιστεύεις στὸ Εὐαγγέλιό Του, πιστεύεις ὅτι θὰ εἶναι στὸ πλάι σου; Πόσο συχνά…! Ὤ, ἂς μὴν ποῦμε: «Δὲν εἶμαι…» ἀλλὰ ἂς ποῦμε: «Ναί, εἶναι δόξα μου, κι ἂν θέλεις νὰ Τὸν σταυρώσεις, ἂν θέλεις νὰ Τὸν ἀπορρίψεις, ἀπόρριψε κι ἐμένα ἐπίσης ἐπειδὴ ἐπιλέγω νὰ σταθῶ στὸ πλευρό Του, εἶμαι μαθητὴς Του ἀκόμα κι ἂν μὲ ἀπορρίψουν, ἀκόμα καὶ ἂν δὲν μοῦ ἐπιτρέψεις νὰ μπῶ στὸ σπίτι σου ξανά».

Ἂς σκεφτοῦμε τὸ πλῆθος στὸν Γολγοθά. Ὑπῆρχαν ἄνθρωποι ποὺ ἦταν ὄργανα στὴν καταδίκη Του, Τὸν περιγέλασαν, εἶχαν πάρει τὴν νίκη τους, τουλάχιστον ἔτσι νόμιζαν. Ἀκόμα ὑπῆρχαν οἱ στρατιῶτες, οἱ στρατιῶτες ποὺ Τὸν Σταύρωσαν· εἶχαν σταυρώσει ἀμέτρητους ἀκόμα ἀνθρώπους, ἔκαναν τὴν δουλειά τους. Δὲν τοὺς ἔνοιαζε ποιὸν σταύρωναν. Κι ὁ Χριστὸς προσευχόταν γι’ αὐτούς: «Συγχώρησε τοὺς Πατέρα, δὲν ξέρουν τί κάνουν…» Δὲν σταυρωνόμαστε μὲν μὲ φυσικὸ τρόπο, ἀλλὰ λέμε: «Συγχώρησε Πατέρα μου, ὅλους αὐτοὺς ποὺ μᾶς προσβάλλουν, μᾶς ἀπορρίπτουν, ποὺ σκοτώνουν τὴν χαρὰ καὶ σκοτεινιάζουν τὶς ζωές μας..» Τὸ κάνουμε; Ὄχι δὲν τὸ κάνουμε. Ἀναγνωρίζουμε τοὺς ἑαυτοὺς μας σ’ αὐτοὺς τοὺς σταυρωτές;

Καὶ ἔπειτα ὑπῆρχε ἕνα πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ποὺ κατέκλυσαν τὴν πόλη γιὰ νὰ δοῦν ἕναν ἄνθρωπο νὰ πεθαίνει, μὲ μία τρελλὴ περιέργεια, ποὺ πιέζει τόσους ἀπὸ μᾶς νὰ γινόμαστε περίεργοι, γιὰ ὅσους ὑποφέρουν, γιὰ ὅλους ἐκείνους ποὺ ἀγωνιοῦν. Θὰ πεῖτε, δὲν συμβαίνει; Ρωτῆστε τὸν ἑαυτό σας, πῶς βλέπετε τηλεόραση, πόσο παθιασμένα βλέπετε τὰ ὅσα τρομερὰ συμβαίνουν στὴν Σομαλία, στὸ Σουδάν, στὴν Βοσνία καὶ ὅποια ἄλλη χώρα. Τὰ βλέπετε μὲ ραγισμένη καρδιά; Εἶναι ὅτι δὲν μπορεῖτε νὰ ὑπομείνετε τὸν τρόμο, ἀλλὰ στρέφεστε στὸν Θεὸ μὲ προσευχή, καὶ δίνετε, δίνετε γενναιόδωρα ὅ,τι μπορεῖτε γιὰ νὰ περιοριστεῖ ἡ πείνα καὶ ἡ μιζέρια; Ἔτσι εἶναι; Ὄχι, εἴμαστε οἱ ἴδιοι ποὺ πῆγαν στὸν Γολγοθὰ γιὰ νὰ δοῦν κάποιον νὰ πεθαίνει. Περιέργεια, ἐνδιαφέρον; Ναί, ἀλίμονο.

Ὑπῆρχαν ἀκόμα κι ἐκεῖνοι ποὺ ἦλθαν μὲ τὴν ἐλπίδα ὅτι Ἐκεῖνος θὰ πεθάνει· ἐπειδὴ ὅταν Ἐκεῖνος πεθάνει στὸν Σταυρό, ἐκεῖνοι θὰ ἐλευθερωθοῦν ἀπὸ τὸ τρομερὸ μήνυμα ποὺ Ἐκεῖνος φέρνει• ὅτι ὀφείλουμε νὰ ἀγαπᾶμε τὸν ἄλλο, ἔτσι ποὺ νά εἴμαστε ἕτοιμοι καὶ νὰ πεθάνουμε γι’ αὐτόν. Αὐτὸ τὸ μήνυμα τῆς σταυρωμένης, θυσιαστικῆς ἀγάπης, θὰ μποροῦσε νὰ καταργηθεῖ διαπαντός, καὶ γιὰ ὅλους. Κι ἂν Ἐκεῖνος ποὺ τὸ κηρύττει, πεθάνει, θὰ ἀποδειχθεῖ ὅτι Ἐκεῖνος εἶναι ἕνας ψευδοπροφήτης, ἕνας ψεύτης.

Κι ἀκόμα, ὑπῆρχαν κι ἐκεῖνοι ποὺ ἦρθαν μὲ τὴν ἐλπίδα ὅτι θὰ κατέβει ἀπὸ τὸν Σταυρό, κι ὅτι τότε θὰ μποροῦσαν νὰ εἶναι πιστοὶ χωρὶς ρίσκο, θὰ ἑνωθοῦν μὲ τὴν «μερίδα» τῶν νικητῶν. Δὲν τοὺς μοιάζουμε τόσο συχνά;

Κι ἔπειτα τὸ σημεῖο ποὺ πολὺ δύσκολα τολμᾶμε ν ἀντικρύσουμε τὴν Μητέρα τοῦ θυσιαζόμενου Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ μητέρα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, σιωπηλή, προσφέροντας τὸν θάνατό Του γιὰ τὴν σωτηρία τοῦ ἀνθρώπινου γένους, σιωπηλά, σβήνοντας μαζί Του, ὥρα τὴν ὥρα, καὶ ὁ μαθητὴς ποὺ γνώριζε μὲ τὸν νεανικὸ τρόπο, πῶς ν’ ἀγαπᾶ τὸν Κύριό του, στεκόμενος μὲ φόβο, κοιτάζοντας τὸν Κύριό του νὰ πεθαίνει καὶ τὴν Μητέρα ν’ ἀγωνιᾶ. Νοιώθουμε ἔτσι ὅταν διαβάζουμε τὸ Εὐαγγέλιο, νοιώθουμε τὴν ἀγωνία στοὺς ἀνθρώπους γύρω μας;

Ἂς μποῦμε στὴν Μ. Ἑβδομάδα μὲ σκοπὸ ὄχι νὰ εἴμαστε θεατὲς ὅσων συμβαίνουν, ἂς μπερδευτοῦμε μὲ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ σὲ κάθε βῆμα ἂς ρωτᾶμε τὸν ἑαυτό μας: ποιὸς εἶμαι μέσα σ’ αὐτὸ τὸ πλῆθος; Εἶμαι ἡ Μητέρα; Εἶμαι ὁ μαθητής; Εἶμαι ἕνας ἀπὸ τοὺς σταυρωτές; Καὶ θὰ μπορέσουμε νὰ φθάσουμε στὴν ἡμέρα τῆς Ἀνάστασης μαζὶ μ’ αὐτοὺς γιὰ τοὺς ὁποίους ἦταν πραγματικὰ ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάσταση· ὅταν ἡ ἀπελπισία εἶχε φύγει, ἦρθε ἡ νέα ἐλπίδα, ὁ Θεὸς εἶχε νικήσει. Ἀμήν.



Ἀπόδοση Κειμένου: www.agiazoni.gr



Πρωτότυπο Κείμενο

Palm Sunday
4 April 1993

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Today, in the day of Palms we stand in awe and amazement before what is happening in a way in which the Jews of Jerusalem could not meet Christ because they met Him imagining that He was the glorious king who would now take over all power, conquer and reject the heathen, the Romans who were occupying their country, that He would re-establish a kingdom, an earthly kingdom of Israel. We know that He had not come for that, He had come to establish a Kingdom that will have no end, a Kingdom of eternity, and the Kingdom that was not open only to one nation but was open to all nations, and the Kingdom that was to be founded on the life and on the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God become the Son of man.

And Holy Week is from one end to another a time of tragic confusion. The Jews meet Christ at the gates of Jerusalem because they expect of Him a triumphant military leader, and He comes to serve, to wash the feet of His disciples, to give His life for the people but not to conquer by force, by power. And the same people who meet Him shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” in a few days will shout, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” because He has betrayed their expectations. They expected an earthly victory and what they see is a defeated king. They hate Him for the disappointment of all their hopes.

And this is not so alien to us in our days. How many are those people who have turn away in hatred from Christ because He has disappointed one hope or another. I remember a woman who had been a believer for all her life and whose grandson died, a little boy, and she said to me, “I don’t believe in God anymore. How could He take my grandson?” And I said to her, “But you believed in God while thousands and thousands and millions of people died.” And she looked at me and said, “Yes, but what did that do to me? I didn’t care, they were not my children.” This is something that happens to us in a small degree so often that we waver in our faith and in our faithfulness to God when something which we expect Him to do for us is not done, when He is not an obedient servant, when we proclaim our will, He does not say, “Amen,” and does not do it. So it is not so alien that we are from those who met Christ at the gates of Jerusalem and then turned away from Him.

But we are entering now in Holy Week. How can we face the events? I think we must enter into Holy Week not as observers, not reading the passages of the Gospel which are relevant, we must enter into Holy Week as though we were participants of the events, indeed read of them but then mix in the crowd that surrounds Christ and ask ourselves, Who am I in this crowd? Am I one of those who said, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’? And am I now on the fringe of saying, ‘Crucify him’? Am I one of the disciples who were faithful until the moments of ultimate danger came upon them? You remember that in the Garden of Gethsemane three disciples had been singled out for Christ to support Him at the hour of His supreme agony, and they did not, they were tired, they were desponded and they fell asleep. Three times He came to them for support, three times they were away from Him.

We do not meet Christ in the same circumstances but we meet so many people who are in agony, not only dying physically, and that also happens to our friends, our relatives, people around us, but are in agony of terror one way or another. Are we there awake, alive, attentive to them, ready to help them out, and if we can’t help, to be with them, to stand by them or do we fall asleep, that is, contract out, turn away, leave them in their agony, their fear, their misery. And again I am not speaking of Judas because no-one of us is aware of betraying Christ in such a way, but don’t we betray Christ when we turn away from all His commandments? When He says, “I give you an example for you to follow,” and we shake our heads and say, “No, I will simply follow the devices of my own heart.” But think of Peter, apparently the strongest, the one who spoke time and again in the name of others, when it came to risking his life, not his life, to be rejected simply, because no-one was about to kill him, he denied Christ three times.

What do we do when we are challenged in the same way, when we are in danger of being mocked and ridiculed and put aside by our friends or our acquaintances who shrug their shoulders and say, “A Christian? And you believe in that? And you believe that Christ was God, and you believe in His Gospel, and you are on His side?” How often? O, we don’t say, “No, we are not,” but do we say, “Yes, it is my glory, and if you want to crucify Him, if you want to reject Him, reject me too because I choose to stand by Him, I am His disciple, even if I am to be rejected, even if you don’t let me into your house anymore.”

And think of the crowd on Calvary. There were people who had been instrumental in His condemnation, they mocked Him, they had won their victory, so they thought at least. And then there were the soldiers, the soldiers who crucified Him, they had crucified innumerable other people, they were doing their job. It didn’t matter to them whom they crucified. And yet Christ prayed for them, “Forgive them, Father, they don’t know what they are doing.” We are not being crucified physically, but do we say, “Forgive, Father, those who offend us, who humiliate us, who reject us, those who kill our joy and darken our life in us.” Do we do that? No, we don’t. So we must recognise ourselves in them also.

And then there was a crowd of people who had poured out to the city to see a man die, the fierce curiosity that pushes so many of us to be curious when suffering, agony comes upon people. You will say, it doesn’t happen? Ask yourself how you look at television and how eagerly, hungrily you look at the horrors that befall Somalia, the Sudan, Bosnia and every other country. Is it with a broken heart? Is it that you can not endure the horror and turn in prayer to God and then give, give, give generously all you can give for hunger and misery to be alleviated? Is it? No, we are the same people who came out on Calvary to see a man die. Curiosity, interest? Yes, alas.

And then there were those who had come with the hope that He will die because if He died on the cross, then they were free from this terrifying, horrible message He had brought that we must love one another to the point of being ready to die for each other. That message of the crucified, sacrificial love could be rejected once and for all if He who preached it, died, and it was proved that He was a false prophet, a liar.

And then there were those who had come in the hope that He will come down from the cross, and then they could be believers without any risk, they would have joint the victorious party. Aren’t we like that so often?

And then there is a point to which we hardly should dare turn our eyes – the Mother of the Incarnate Son of God, the Mother of Jesus silent, offering His death for the salvation of mankind, silent and dying with Him hour after hour; and the disciple who knew in a youthful way how to love his master, standing by in horror, seeing his Master die and the Mother in agony. Are we like this when we read the Gospel, are we like this when we see the agony of men around us?

Let us therefore enter in this Holy Week in order not to be observers of what happened then, let us enter into it mixed with the crowd and at every step ask ourselves, who am I in this crowd? Am I the Mother? Am I the disciple? Am I one of the crucifiers? And so forth. And then we will be able to meet the day of the Resurrection together with those to whom it was life and resurrection indeed, when despair had gone, new hope had come, God had conquered. Amen.