Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presided over the eve of Easter and the Pope recited the homily. The liturgy was preceded by a ritual suggesting the blessing of the fire in the church hall, and the subsequent procession to the sound of “The Light of Christ”. Seven of the two appointments of different nationalities (Italian, American, Cuban, Albanian) were baptized. At the end of the homily, Francis said in Ukrainian: “Christ is risen.”
Bianca Fracalvieri – Vatican News
The shadows and lights that characterize the Easter Mass, with the blessing of fire and the lighting of a candle, are reflected in Pope Francis’ homily in St. Peter’s Basilica, which soon begins to refer to the ongoing conflicts.
“Nights of war pass through luminous paths of death. Tonight, brothers and sisters, let us allow ourselves to be guided by the women of the Gospel, let us discover with them the dawning of the light of God that shines in the darkness of the world,” said the Pope.
Francis suggested three actions for the women who first witnessed the Lord’s Passover: seeing, hearing, and evangelizing.
In the cemetery, the women do not see the body of Jesus. In other words, Easter begins to turn our charts, the Pope said. Therefore, it is not easy to accept it. It comes with the gift of sudden hope, which sometimes finds no place in our hearts.
“And so we remain motionless before the grave of surrender and fatalism; we are buried by the joy of life. But tonight, the Lord wants to give us different eyes, enlightened by the hope that fear, suffering and death will not have the last word on us.”
The danger of ‘Christianity without Easter’
in second place, women listen To two splendidly clothed men: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? not here; And rose!” (24, 5-6).
For the Pontiff, it is good to hear and chant these words whenever we look for him in fleeting passions or in moments of need, when we limit him to formulas and traditions, but we do not look for him in those who cry, labor, suffer and wait.
“We cannot celebrate Easter if we continue to die,” the Pope said.
Let’s make Easter with Christ!
finally women announce The joy of the resurrection.
“How beautiful a Church so walks on the ways of the world! No fear, no tactics, no opportunism. Only with the desire to bring the joy of the Gospel to all. That is why we are called: to experience the Risen One and share it with others.”
The mission of believers is to bring Jesus into everyday life, and to make signs of peace in this time marked by the horrors of war; To carry out proceedings of justice in the midst of inequality and truth in the midst of lies.
Brothers and sisters, our hope is called Jesus. (…) Let’s make Easter with Christ! He is alive and even today he passes, transforms and liberates. With him, evil no longer has power, failure cannot prevent us from starting over, and death becomes the gateway to the beginning of a new life. For with the risen Jesus, there is no infinite night; And even in the darkest of darkness, the morning star shines. “
Христос воскрес !, Christ is Risen
At the end of the homily, the Pope addressed the Mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, present in the church in the company of the Ukrainian parliamentarians, whom he had already met before the ceremony: “In this darkness you are living, lord of war and cruelty, we pray with you tonight, we pray for many afflictions. No We can only offer our company, our prayers and say to you: Courage, we accompany you. Celebrate: Христос воскрес! (Christ is Risen).
The celebration of the rite of baptism continued for seven of the two dates.
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