Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan called on Catholics to draw meaning from suffering by uniting it with Christ’s Passion, as he led Palm Sunday services at the Kalookan Cathedral.
In a homily that focused on the message of inner peace and redemptive suffering, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said faith and love are what make the burdens of life bearable.
“Suffering becomes more painful when we cannot give it meaning,” Cardinal David said. “This is the most important lesson that Christ gives to us, his disciples. He alone can teach us how burdens become lighter—not because the weight is taken away, but because he walks with us.”
The cardinal reflected on Jesus’ calm and forgiving demeanor during his Passion, as narrated in the Gospel of Luke. But rather than emphasize Jesus’ physical torment, David highlighted how Christ’s love transformed fear into peace and despair into hope.
“This is how hope springs forth—when the surroundings are dark, we search for light within, in the heart and spirit, a light to guide us to persevere and remain steadfast,” he said.
He said Palm Sunday invites the faithful not to escape from suffering, but to endure it with courage grounded in love.
The palm branches, he added, are not signs of celebration but symbols of strength and resolve inherited from Israel’s journey through the desert and carried on by martyrs of the Church.
“It became a sign and testimony of their firm witness and resolve to stand by the will of God,” David said.
Tying this reflection to the broader mission of the Church, the prelate said enduring pain with purpose is part of the Christian vocation.
“If we walk the path of Calvary, we will find in his presence gentleness, peace, and trust,” he said. “If we face our sufferings and even our death in union with his suffering and death, we will find meaning in them—as a participation in his mission of redemption.”
