Today there is "a certain callousness of the soul towards the power of evil, an insensitivity
to all the evil in the world: we do not want to be disturbed by these things, we want
to forget, perhaps, we think, it is not important. It is not only insensitivity to
evil, but also insensitivity to God”, said Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday as he dedicated
his last catechesis before Easter to the Holy Week Triduum.
He said “Dear Brothers
and Sisters, Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum, the three days in
which the Church commemorates the mystery of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection.
The liturgies of these days invite us to ponder the loving obedience of Christ who,
having become like us in all things but sin, resisted temptation and freely surrendered
himself to the Father’s will. Tomorrow, at the Chrism Mass, priests renew their ordination
promises, the sacred oils are blessed, and we celebrate the grace of the crucified
and risen Lord which comes to us through the Church’s sacramental life. On the evening
of Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper begins the actual Triduum and recalls
the institution of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders”.
Reflecting
more specifically on the episode of Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, in
comments in Italian the Pope noted that – not unlike the apostles who failed to hold
vigil with Christ and were overcome by a “sleepiness” – “It 's our very sleepiness
to the presence of God that renders us insensitive to evil: we don’t hear God because
we don’t want to be disturbed, and so we remain indifferent to evil”
Pope Benedict
said that “Jesus experienced great anguish, such suffering as to sweat blood, aware
of his imminent death on the cross", but chooses to keep watch. This is "a matter
of great importance for the Church” said Pope Benedict: “Jesus says to his disciples
'stay here and keep vigil', and this appeal to be vigilant concerns precisely this
moment of anguish, of threat, but it also covers the entire history of the Church,
it is a permanent message for all time because the disciples’ sleepiness is not a
problem of that one moment, rather of the whole of history, "the sleepiness" is ours,
of those of us who do not want to see the full force of evil and do not want to enter
into his Passion”.
He concluded “The Liturgy of Good Friday invites us to share
in Christ’s sufferings through penance and fasting, and to receive the gift of God’s
love flowing from the Lord’s pierced Heart. The Easter Vigil joyfully proclaims
Christ’s resurrection from the dead and the new life received in Baptism. By your
prayers and our sharing in these liturgies, let us resolve to imitate Christ’s loving
obedience to the Father’s saving plan, which is the source of authentic freedom and
the path of eternal life”.
“I offer a cordial welcome to all the English-speaking
pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, especially the groups from England,
the Netherlands, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. To you and your families
I offer prayerful good wishes for a spiritually fruitful celebration of Holy Week
and a happy Easter!” Listen to Emer McCarthy's full report: