Dear friends in Christ, for five weeks of Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord’s passion. Today we gather to begin the solemn celebration of Holy Week. Christ entered in triumph into his own city, to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again. Let us remember with devotion his entry that culminated at the empty tomb and follow him with a lively faith. United with him by Baptism, we share in his resurrection and new life. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!