As the season of Lent began, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has urged Christians to look to the Cross of Christ, which represents the heart of Easter and the hope of the world, especially in times of war, selfishness, and violence.
In his Lenten message sent to the faithful of the Holy Land, the Cardinal Patriarch said every believer in Christ must realize that “violent words of rancor and hatred, the presumptuous speeches of conflict and recrimination cannot prevent God from speaking the word of reconciliation in Christ: Ave Crux, spes unica!”
Lent, he said, represents an ever-renewed opportunity to receive the gift of grace and forgiveness, as we experience the desert alongside Jesus. “We need this new word, the word of the Cross, which may seem like foolishness to the powerful and wise of this world and of our time,” said Patriarch Pizzaballa. “It is the only word that can reopen paths of hope and peace, by overturning worldly criteria. The Way of the Cross, along which we learn with difficulty, but with joy, the new logic of gift and forgiveness, calls for men and women, young and old, families and children, who are ready to walk it, by renewing their way of thinking and their attitude. Only in this way can we hope for a future in peace.”
The Cardinal invited Christian commu-nities in the Holy Land to make time to read the Passion narratives and visit the places marked by the Lord’s passage to Calvary and the Sepulcher. He recalled that reconciliation can only become effective by becoming ministry in service toward our brothers and sisters. “The gift is not magical, but must be received, witnessed, lived and shared,” he said. “So, let us all, pastors and lay people, religious men and women, get involved and feel jointly responsible for carrying the word and ministry of reconciliation into the world.”
“When reconciled with God, Christians must deeply feel the call to reconcile among themselves and then extend that reconciliation to all humanity,” said Patriarch Pizzaballa. “Let us not waste this time given to us by the mercy of God,” he concluded. “It is not just another Lent: if we want it to be, it can become a different, a new Lent!