Rev. Father director Fr. Zacheusz,

Directors, teachers,

dear students

May the Lord give you peace!

What a joy to celebrate the Eucharist here, in the Terra Santa School of Nicosia. A Franciscan school. And for a Franciscan friar there is no greater joy than being in Franciscan places, with the Franciscan family. I have been a bishop (for a month and a week), but I am a Franciscan friar. And I thank Father Zacheuz for the invitation. And to all the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, to all the teachers for the precious service you do for Cyprus, especially for the Church of Cyprus, truly for all of us, Orthodox, Armenians, Maronite Catholics and Latins.

Brothers and sisters, we have finally arrived at the heart of Christianity. We enter the week, defined as “holy”, because it is the center of the life of a Christian. We will keep Jesus company in his last hours even if our life continues to pass as usual. But this Holy Mass together here, as a family, is truly an invitation: to stay in the company of Jesus, minute after minute in this Holy Week.

This week, let’s immerse ourselves in this atmosphere made of: silence, fear, pain and betrayal. We will remember the days of the anguish of Jesus of Nazareth. But a question arises, a truly very important question, and if we don’t ask ourselves this question there is the risk of creating more of a theater, not really a liturgy that gives us life. The question is: will we really understand? Will men finally understand? War also continues in various places in the world, even among Christians.

As Christians we are invited to stop and admire the “spectacle” of the cross as Saint Luke calls it, the “spectacle of love”. And it’s not theater, it really happened, it’s God’s love for us.

This Sunday a contradiction is told. Why?

The crowd that welcomes Jesus in a triumphal, enthusiastic way, shouting “Hosanna to the son of David” with olive branches is the same one that a few days later will shout “crucify him”!

Why are we talking about this contradiction today? Because Passion is animated by contradictions. Because in our human frailty, we live in contradiction. We will tell of Peter who says he is willing to give his life for the Lord, but he collapses when faced with the question of a simple servant. And he will say: I don’t know him. And the disciples? And U.S? And those who promote war and they too have children, families, and do not think about the many children who suffer. But we cannot stop in the contradiction, in the contradictions… but yes in Jesus….

Jesus, in fact, had given so much hope especially among the humble, simple, poor, forgotten people. He had been able to understand man’s frailties and many times had healed the body and the soul.

He’s just like that… he wants to heal us from everything that’s wrong.

Sometimes he also heals physically, but most of the time he heals our soul…. The truth is that our heart needs to be healed… for example when we criticize others, or get angry over the slightest thing, or when we always want to be the best and humiliate, despise others. Or when we only worry about ourselves without seeing the needs of those who suffer, and so on… and for adults, the grown-ups: injustices, wars.

In all these moments our soul, our heart needs to be “healed” and it is Jesus himself who does it, if we want it and listen to him… But how do we listen to him? When does he talk to us?

He speaks to us through circumstances, through people, through the Gospel, through the Church, our friends, and he speaks to us in this Holy Week.

Brothers, sisters, in conclusion, that in this week we welcome the certainty that God can forgive every sin. and we pray for the gift of peace. And Courage, let us walk towards Easter with his forgiveness. Because He truly loves us, and He loves us with true and eternal love. Amen…..