In his homily for the Easter Vigil read by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presiding on his behalf, Pope Francis explains how this celebration “reminds us that the light of the Resurrection illumines our path” and our hearts. The Pope made a brief visit to St. Peter’s Basilica a couple hours before the celebration for prayer and to greet the faithful gathering.
In his homily read by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, during the Easter Vigil in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis underscored how “the light of the Resurrection illumines our path one step at a time,” breaking through the darkness of history and shining in our hearts. Cardinal Re presided over the Easter Vigil on behalf of Pope Francis who has been limiting his public activities as he continues recovery from his respiratory illnesses of recent months.
Before the celebration began, the Pope made a brief visit to the Saint Peter’s Basilica to spend some time in prayer and to be close to the faithful arriving for the Easter Vigil liturgy to be celebrated almost two hours later. Over five thousand faithful gathered in the Basilica and the square outside.
Easter Vigil in Saint Peter’s Basilica (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
The light of the Resurrection calls for “the response of a humble faith, devoid of all triumphalism,” said the Pope in his homily Cardinal Re shared during the celebration. “The Resurrection is like little seeds of light that slowly and silently come to take root in our hearts, at times still prey to darkness and unbelief.”
Helping the “seed of light” grow
The light of the Resurrection helps us “to deal with the nights that dwell in our hearts and the shadows of death that so often loom over our world,” the Pope pointed out, since “in our earthly history the power of his Resurrection is still being brought to fulfilment.” And we are called to be part of that process, he said, entrusted to help that “small seed of light” be protected and grow.
Easter Vigil in Saint Peter’s Basilica (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
Letting Easter hope blossom
Reflecting Easter hope
The hope of Easter calls on us to reflect it in our own lives and “become messengers of hope, builders of hope, even as so many winds of death still buffet us,” the Pope emphasized. Whether the words we use, the “small daily acts” of compassion and love we show, “our whole life can be a presence of hope,” also for those who lack faith, have lost their way, or are overwhelmed with suffering through poverty or oppression, he added. And we remember the “many women who are humiliated and killed”, the unborn, children who are mistreated and the victims of war, and “to each and all of them, let us bring the hope of Easter!”
Easter Vigil in Saint Peter’s Basilica (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
The Pope acknowledged how death, violence and the dark shadows of evil in our world can weigh us down and obscure the light of hope, but “let us not lose heart, but return to the message of this night.”
“The light quietly shines forth, even though we are in darkness; the promise of new life and a world finally set free awaits us; and a new beginning, however impossible it might seem, can take us by surprise, for Christ has triumphed over death.”
Easter Vigil in Saint Peter’s Basilica (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
This message of renewed hope that fills our heart in celebrating the Risen Jesus should help us remember how we are “in God’s hands” who will help us overcome the dark nights in our lives.
“In his great love, he will not let us falter, or allow evil to have the last word. At the same time, this hope, already fulfilled in Christ, remains for us a goal to be attained. Yet it has been entrusted to us so that we can bear credible witness to it, so that the Kingdom of God may find its way into the hearts of the women and men of our time.”
Proclaiming Easter hope
“The risen Christ is the definitive turning point in human history. He is the hope that does not fade. He is the love that accompanies us and sustains us…Let us make room for the light of the Risen Lord! And we will become builders of hope for the world.” by my
Credit: Vatican News