General audience, explaining the Easter Triduum, Benedict XVI focuses on the Gethsemane prayer and "sleepiness" of the disciples. Man "by his nature, tends to follow his own will and then oppose his autonomy” to the will of God. But this is wrong, the will of God" is not an opposition, it is not slavery, it is entering goodness ."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Man has arrived at no longer wanting to see "the full force of evil," he has an "insensitivity" to the power of evil, which eventually becomes "insensitivity of God": "we do not hear God because he disturbs us, and so we remain indifferent to evil. " Man, in fact, "by his nature, tends to follow his own will and then oppose its autonomy to the will of God But this is wrong, the will of God" is not an opposition, not slavery , but encountering good ": to transform our" no "to" yes "," aware that even if it is in opposition to our will, there lies our true good, "that" transforms humanity and redeems us, " because "the will of the Father is love, it is good."

On the eve of the Easter Triduum, the "core of the liturgical year," Benedict XVI explained as much to 20 thousand people in St. Peter's Square for the general audience, dwelling in large part on the Garden of  Gethsemane, one of the central moments in the rites which the Church is preparing to celebrate around the world.

The first appointment, he said, is for tomorrow morning, "Holy Thursday, when we remember the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. In the morning, the Chrism Mass, each community gathers around the bishop for the blessing of holy oils: for the full year they will be used for baptisms, confirmations, the priestly and episcopal ordination and the anointing of the sick. It thus shows how salvation derives precisely from the Resurrection. " "During the Chrism Mass there is also the renewal of priestly vows. Throughout the world every priest renews his commitment to the service of others. "

In the afternoon, "the Triduum really begins with the celebration of the Last Supper" .According to tradition, every Jewish family in the Easter holiday eats roasted lamb in memory of the deliverance from Egypt. So Jesus the true paschal lamb "with the blessing of bread and wine manifests his intention to remain for ever” under the Eucharistic species. In the washing of feet, then, there's the memory of the call "to love one another as he did."

Holy Thursday ends with Eucharistic adoration in the memory of the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus asked the apostles to “hold vigil”, but they were taken by "sleep". "But what is drowsiness and what is vigilance?". It is "a certain callousness of the soul towards the power of evil, an insensitivity to all the evil in the world: we do not want to be disturbed by these things, we want to forget, perhaps, we think, it is not important. It is not only insensitivity to evil, but also insensitivity to God. " "It 's our very sleepiness to the presence of God that renders us insensitive to evil: we don’t hear God because we don’t want to be disturbed, and so we remain indifferent to evil."

From the story of that night, added the Pope, we see that "Jesus experienced great anguish, such suffering as to sweat blood, aware of his imminent death on the cross, and he feels great anguish," but chooses to keep watch. This is "a matter of great importance for the Church: Jesus says to his disciples 'stay here and keep watch', and this appeal to be vigilant concerns precisely this moment of anguish, of threat, but covers the entire history of the Church, it is a permanent message for all time because of the disciples’ sleepiness is not problem of that one moment but of the whole of history, "the sleepiness" is ours, of those of us who do not want to see the full force of evil and do not want to enter into his Passion. "

On Good Friday " invites us to share in Christ’s sufferings through penance and fasting, and to receive the gift of God’s love flowing from the Lord’s pierced Heart. Accompany Jesus going up to Calvary

Finally on Holy Saturday, the solemn Easter Vigil, "which includes the final victory over death that challenges us to be new men." And which is the central event of the entire liturgical year.

May the Triduum, concluded the Pope, strengthen in all Christians "a strong desire to love the Father. to be one with the Father "," to conform our lives to God's will. "

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