Domenica delle Palme - San Pietro

As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out." - Luke 19:36-40

During Holy Week, pilgrims come from across the globe to gather at St. Peter's square for Papal mass. The entire square gets closed off, and those with pre-arranged free tickets wait in line for the security gates to open. Once they do, 50,000 people make a mad dash to try to find the best possible seat. A good seat means two things: a close view of the eventual mass at the front of St. Peter's, and proximity to a side aisle where Pope Benedict XVI himself will process past.

Each of us had an olive branch in hand (a chance from the typical palm branch of my youth), while some had brought special palm branches or tall floral arrangements. Also, this was the 22nd annual World Youth Day so many young people gathered together with flags, signs and banners. Even though we were waiting for over two hours before the service began, we we surrounded by joyful celebration.

When the Holy Father entered the square, the crowd truly broke open. As mass proceeded, there was a very definite sense of reverence and respect - I never would've guessed that so many people could be so quiet. The entire service, save a few prayers and readings, was in Italian, and the entire group clearly did not speak Italian. Even the Pope's homily was in Italian, leaving me to guess at words and phrases for the message. (After the service, an English translation was posted, which you can read here.) While the majority of the crowd probably spoke Italian just fine, and there was a clear attempt to at least include other languages, I found myself wishing I was a bit more a part of the ceremony.

Nonetheless, it felt incredible to be part of such a huge group of believers. There is something potent and inspiring about having tens of thousands of people gathered together, chanting and singing, entering into Holy Week together. Some of them were probably tourists just there to see the Pope - but how many people joined Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, only wanting to see what the fuss was about? How many of them didn't speak the language, but raised their voices just because it felt right? How many eventually followed Jesus to the cross, curious what would happen? How many people have been moved to faith simply because of the community of believers? Perhaps at some level, the details aren't as important as room for the Spirit to work. If even the stones would shout praises to Christ, sometimes even our own language fails to express the fullness of the body of Christ.

God of our salvation, in many languages and places you are at work. Work in the hearts and minds of those who do not even know they are searching for you, and strengthen the faith of those who know you and yet continue to look for you. In this Holy Week, walk with us as we gather at the cross of your Son, reminding us who we are and whose we are. We pray these things in Christ's name, Amen.