The risen Jesus preserves the wound

Fr. Chino Biscontin

With the edict of Constantine issued in Milan in 313, which puts an end to persecution, Christians can freely and publicly express their faith through celebrations. With the sacred constructions promoted by the emperor’s mother, Saint Helena, in the Holy Land in the places of memory of Jesus, these celebrations acquired structure and solemnity. In particular, already during the fourth century, on the Sunday before Easter, the faithful gathered on the Mount of Olives for a celebration followed by a procession commemorating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In the 6 th century, the procession stopped at the sanctuary of the Ascension, Gethsemane, the Pool of Bethesda, the Basilica of the Resurrection and ended at the hill of Calvary. The patriarch walked the procession on the back of a donkey. From the East, this procession passed through the West, first through Spain and Gaul. In Rome, the Sunday before Easter was dedicated to the reading of the stories of the Passion of the Lord. But also in Rome, certainly in the 11 th century, the procession was introduced, preceded by the blessing of olive branches and presided over by the Pope. Our celebration of Palm Sunday, after the reform of…