Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”  At the height of his physical suffering, moved with deep love and compassion, Jesus asks the Father to forgive. Who is he asking forgiveness for? Could it be the soldiers who mocked him, scourged him, tortured him then nailed him to the Cross? Or maybe he is asking forgiveness for the high priests, the Scribes or the Pharisees who remained jealous and envious of Jesus and wanted him dead. Or perhaps the forgiveness is for the crowd who only days before praised him in his entrance to Jerusalem. Or maybe it’s for the Apostles, the disciples or Jesus’ friends who said they will die for him but in the end deserted him and left him alone. Or perhaps he is asking forgiveness for us who abandon him every time we sin. The answer is yes to all.  Jesus died to bring forgiveness for all our sins. Right up to his final hour on earth, Jesus preached forgiveness.  He taught forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer and when asked how many times we should forgive someone, Jesus answered, “seventy times seven” – meaning every time. And even on the night he was handed over at the Last Supper, Jesus said, “this is my body… this my blood poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin.” Then ultimately on the Cross, Jesus simply says, “Father, forgive them.” The Cross is the greatest and definitive expression of the Father’s love for us and his desire to forgive those who repent, for there is no greater love than this than to lay down one’s  life for a friend to bring him forgiveness of his sins. Jesus came to entered into Jerusalem for us, to enter into the Way of the Cross, into the darkness of our world, into our broken humanity. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” He came to be like us in all things but sin, to do the Father’s will, to suffer and die for us, to heal the contrite of heart, to restore us to the image of the Father and to bring us home.  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Jesus wants you to enter into the Kingdom God, into the Peace of his presence, into his Scared Heart, into the sacredness of Mass, into Holy Communion, into the New and Everlasting Covenant and into the Father’s arms. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Jesus wants to come into your life, into your home, into your heart, into your family, into your soul. He says, “come follow me” – deny yourself, take up your cross and come follow me.