2006年VOA标准英语-Pope Celebrates Palm Sunday Mass

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
09 April 2006

Faithful gather in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican during the Palm Sunday Mass celebrated¹ by Pope Benedict XVI, Sunday, April 9, 2006   
  
Tens of thousands of Roman Catholics turned out for Pope Benedict's first Palm Sunday. He celebrated an open air mass in Saint Peter's Square during which he blessed palm leaves and olive branches, marking the start of the Christian² Holy Week.

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A brilliant sun bathed Saint Peter's Square as Pope Benedict held an outdoor mass to celebrate the first Palm Sunday of his papacy. Tens of thousands were in the square and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church blessed palm leaves and olive branches, symbols of peace.

In an opening prayer, Pope Benedict said "With this liturgical³ assembly we enter into Holy Week, to live the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

During the mass, the pope recalled Jesus' triumphant⁴ entry into Jerusalem. He said his was a message of poverty, peace and universality. The pope called for people around the world to undergo a purification of hearts to help heal what he said was a lacerated world.

The pope said personal internal freedom is the premise⁵ to overcome corruption⁶ and greed, which are devastating⁷ the world.

Christ's message, he said, was not to respond to an injustice⁸ with another injustice, to violence with another violence, but to remind us that evil can only be overcome with good, not with another evil. The pope said Jesus taught us love is stronger than death.

Palm Sunday mass is also dedicated⁹ to young people who celebrate World Youth Day in local dioceses. After the mass, young people from Germany, where World Youth Day was held last year in the presence of the pope, handed a wooden cross to young people from Sydney, where the next World Youth Day will be celebrated in 2008.

With today's ceremony commemorating¹⁰ Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the pope opened a busy Holy Week, which includes the Good Friday remembrance of Christ's crucifixion and culminates¹¹ on Easter Sunday, when Christians¹² celebrate His resurrection.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 liturgical   

adj.礼拜仪式的

参考例句：

• This period corresponds with the liturgical season of Christmas.这个时期与圣诞节的礼拜季节相一致。
• This is a book of liturgical forms.这是一本关于礼拜仪式的书。

4 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

5 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

8 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

11 culminates   

v.达到极点( culminate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Each civilization is born, it culminates, and it decay. 各种文明都要历经诞生，鼎盛和衰落。 来自《用法词典》
• The tower culminates in a 40-foot spire. 这塔的顶端是一个40英尺高的塔尖。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。