Tagle to Catholics: Find Christ in poor, oppressed

BLESSING RITES Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leads the blessing of palm fronds after his Palm Sunday Mass at Manila Cathedral. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

The acceptance of the real Jesus Christ means acceptance of His presence among the poor and the oppressed, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle told Catholics on Palm Sunday.

At the start of Holy Week, millions of Catholics flocked to churches to have their palm fronds blessed in commemoration of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem of Jesus.

In his homily during Mass at Manila Cathedral, Tagle said the palm fronds symbolized the Catholic faithful’s acceptance of Jesus.

The real Jesus

“But do we accept the real Jesus or are we just accepting the Jesus [of] our imagination? The Jesus that we like but not the real one?” Tagle asked.

“Accepting the real Jesus is accepting His presence among the poor; those who get spat at and insulted in the society; those who kept silent even when they are being slapped. But they are the ones who have dignity because only God knows the truth. And that’s how Jesus is, and that’s how we should follow Him,” he said.

“The real Jesus is manifested among those who practice humility; those who are sent by God like Jesus [are] humble,” he added.

Also called Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday commemorates the entry into the Holy City of Jesus.

He rode on a donkey but was welcomed like a king by a crowd, who laid palm branches and their cloaks on His path, days before he was arrested and executed by crucifixion, according to the Synoptic Gospels.

“But while they welcomed Jesus, he repeatedly got [spat] in the face and insulted, even by his own disciples,” Tagle said, conflating the events of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, with references to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, the three denials of Peter, and the abuse suffered by Jesus at the hands of the Romans.

“The story of Jesus’ passion and death was shocking,” he added.

Rejection by Jews

The worst insult that Jesus suffered, Tagle said, was when the crowd chose Barabbas to be released, leaving Jesus to be put to death.

Tagle said the crowd did not accept Jesus as the Messiah because he manifested humility; he did not look like God, he looked just like an ordinary man.

“The people told him, ‘If you are the one sent by God, get down from the cross, save yourself.’ They were expecting someone stronger, powerful, a magician who could erase all the problems, all the sufferings and weaknesses of man. But Jesus became man and embraced the weaknesses of man,” Tagle said.

“Unexpectedly, it was the centurion, the one guarding Jesus who knew who He really was because he was focused on Jesus, so he was able to see the truth—that Jesus was innocent, and that He was truly the Son of God,” Tagle said, referring to the scene at the foot of the cross in the Synoptics.

“Let’s look at Jesus in the same way, so we can see His pure love for us,” he added.