Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes yesterday urged the lay faithful to be genuine witnesses for Jesus Christ, whose passion and death on the Cross continues to inspire people to live the faith according to Christ’s example.

Cortes issued the call for witnessing during the opening salvo yesterday of the Holy week observance, held at the Quezon Park in Dumaguete, where the blessing of palm fronds was conducted.

He reminded the Catholic fateful that the true meaning of the waving of palm fronds is not just for driving away bad luck and ill fate, but a symbol of Christians in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior in their lives.

In his message before the blessing of the palm leaves, Cortes said the people who had then received Jesus as he entered Jerusalem were the ones who later mocked and condemned Him, and sought His death.

He challenged the lay faithful to look deeply within themselves and ask how much they truly received Christ as Savior.

He added that by accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, one must be genuinely witnessing for Christ. The bishop quoted Pope Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Letter, who said, the world needs real profession of the faith enlightened by the word of God.

Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, is a Roman rite liturgy that focuses on the Passion of Christ during the Lenten season.

Multitudes of faithful flocked to the Quezon Park where Cortes, joined by priests and deacons, started with a prayer, followed by the blessing of the palm fronds, to remember the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.

The bishop and his entourage then walked over to the nearby St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral, seat of the Diocese of Dumaguete, where he presided over a pontifical mass concelebrated with priests and deacons.

Cortes stressed that Passion Sunday reminds the people of Christ’s suffering and His eventual victory over death by dying on the Cross.

The Cross is also a reminder of our existence in a sinful world where there will always be pain, anguish, misery, strife, physical suffering and spiritual trials, among others, Cortes said.

However, if one bears his Cross just like Christ and surrender to the will of God, then there is hope and certainty that one’s suffering will lead that person away from defeat and instead become assured of eternal life in God’s kingdom through Jesus, he added.*JFP

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