杏MAP导航

杏MAP导航

杏MAP导航: Easter faith spurs us to seek the risen Lord with hope and joy

Celebrating the joy of Easter during the morning Mass in Saint Peter鈥檚 Square, 杏MAP导航 Francis in his homily calls on us to hasten to seek the risen Lord, like the first disciples, and to renew the gift of hope within us, sharing with those we meet along our life journey.

By Thaddeus Jones

Presiding over the Easter morning Mass on behalf of 杏MAP导航 Francis, Italian Cardinal Angelo Comastri welcomed the over fifty thousand faithful gathered in a flower-filled Saint Peter鈥檚 Square. The flowers are provided by Dutch florists and this year marks the 39th anniversary of doing so. Tens of thousands of flowers of every sort adorned Saint Peter鈥檚 Square and Basilica in an intricate, colourful layout.

Flowers from Dutch florists in Saint Peter's Square for Easter Sunday

Flowers from Dutch florists in Saint Peter's Square for Easter Sunday (Vatican Media)

Cardinal Comastri, Archpriest emeritus of Saint Peter鈥檚 Basilica and Vicar General emeritus of Vatican City, led the liturgy in the Square and read prepared for the occasion.

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

Haste in looking for the Lord

Recalling how Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John all made haste in discovering and witnessing the empty tomb, 杏MAP导航 Francis said this 鈥渞unning鈥� to see what happened may reflect not only a concern the Lord鈥檚 body had been taken way, but a desire, 鈥渢he yearning of the heart, the inner attitude of those who set out to search for Jesus.鈥� The Lord has risen from the dead and 鈥渨e must look for him elsewhere.鈥�

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square (Vatican Media)

Actively seeking the risen Christ

The message of Easter is precisely that 鈥淐hrist is risen, he is alive!鈥� the 杏MAP导航 emphasized, 鈥渘o longer a prisoner of death.鈥� This requires that we 鈥渢ake action鈥�, he said, setting out to find the Lord in our lives, in our brothers and sisters, in our everyday experiences 鈥� 鈥渆verywhere except in the tomb.鈥�

鈥淐hrist is present everywhere, he dwells among us, he hides himself and reveals himself even today in the sisters and brothers we meet along the way, in the most ordinary and unpredictable situations of our lives. He is alive and is with us always, shedding the tears of those who suffer and adding to the beauty of life through the small acts of love carried out by each of us.鈥�

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

Welcoming the Lord into our lives

Easter faith opens the door to encountering the risen Lord and welcoming him into our lives, the 杏MAP导航 continued. This reality of Easter 鈥渟purs us to action鈥�, he emphasized, 鈥渢o run like Mary Magdalene and the disciples鈥� to seek and meet the Lord, to have eyes that 鈥渟ee beyond鈥� and to experience Jesus as 鈥渢he one who lives鈥� and is present with us today, going before us, helping us, surprising us.

鈥淟ike Mary Magdalene, every day we can experience losing the Lord, but every day we can also run to look for him again, with the certainty that he will allow himself to be found and will fill us with the light of his resurrection.鈥�

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

Experiencing life鈥檚 greatest hope

鈥淏rothers and sisters, this is the greatest hope of our life: we can live this poor, fragile and wounded existence clinging to Christ, because he has conquered death, he conquers our darkness and he will conquer the shadows of the world, to make us live with him in joy, forever.鈥�

Renewing and sharing hope

鈥淭he Jubilee invites us to renew the gift of hope within us, to surrender our sufferings and our concerns to hope, to share it with those whom we meet along our journey and to entrust to hope the future of our lives and the destiny of the human family.鈥�

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square

Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

The 杏MAP导航 in his homily said we should not settle for the fleeting things of this world or give into sadness, but instead 鈥渨e must run, filled with joy鈥� in meeting the Lord and rediscovering 鈥渢he inestimable grace of being his friends

鈥淪isters, brothers, in the wonder of the Easter faith, carrying in our hearts every expectation of peace and liberation, we can say: with You, O Lord, everything is new. With you, everything begins again.鈥�

Watch the full video of the Easter Mass and Urbi et Orbi Blessing

Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here

Topics

20 April 2025, 11:41