Pope at Easter Vigil: let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives!
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the newness of God in our lives. "Brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives!" Is the invitation that Pope Francis addressed to all the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for the celebration of the Easter Vigil. Referring to the Gospel of the Liturgy (Luke 24, 1-12), which recounts the frightened women at the tomb and Peter himself full of wonder, Francis explains: "Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us. We are like the Apostles in the Gospel: often we would prefer to hold on to our own security, to stand in front of a tomb, to think about someone who has died, someone who ultimately lives on only as a memory, like the great historical figures from the past. We are afraid of God's surprises; we are afraid of God's surprises! He always surprises us!".
And again: "Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed
down by our sins? Do we think that we won't be able to cope? Let us not close
our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no
situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if
only we open ourselves to him".
The
Great Vigil had opened with the rite of fire and lighting of the paschal candle
in the atrium of the basilica, which was followed by the singing of the Exultet. During
the celebration, Francis administered the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation
and First Communion to four catechumens, all men, from Italy, Albania, Russia
and the United States of America.
But
the thread of celebration was always the novelty that the resurrection of Jesus
from death into the world: " This is how the
newness of God appears to the women, the disciples and all of us: as victory
over sin, evil and death, over everything that crushes life and makes it seem
less human. And this is a message meant for me and for you, dear sister, dear
brother. How often does Love have to tell us: Why do you look for the
living among the dead? Our
daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and
bitterness... and that is where death is!
Let the risen Jesus enter your
life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have
kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If
you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won't be disappointed. If following
him seems difficult, don't be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close
to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and
the strength to live as he would have you do".
And almost as if he addressing
those who have fallen away from the faith, who have forgotten the action of
Christ in their lives, the Pope suggests " remember the encounter
with Jesus, remember his words, his
actions, his life; and it is precisely this loving remembrance of their
experience with the Master that enables the women to master their fear and to
bring the message of the Resurrection to the Apostles and all the others (cf. Lk
24:9). To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to
remember the road we have travelled; this is what opens our hearts to hope for
the future. May we learn to remember everything that God has done in our lives".
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