After giving up at the last moment yesterday evening to attend the Via Crucis at the Colosseum, tired from the long Celebration of the Passion in the Basilica and above all eager not to expose himself to the evening cold and humidity, Pope Francis presided over the Vigil as planned this evening Easter at St. Peter’s. Although his voice was at times feeble and his pace was a little tiring, he also read his homily: «Sometimes we feel that a tombstone has been placed heavily at the entrance to our heart, suffocating life, extinguishing trust, imprisoning us in the tomb of fears and bitterness, blocking the path to joy and hope”, said Pope Francis.
Away with the “boulders of death”
«They are “boulders of death” – continued the Holy Father – and we encounter them, along the way, in all those experiences and situations that rob us of the enthusiasm and strength to move forward: in the sufferings that affect us and in the deaths of dear people, who leave unfillable voids in us; in the failures and fears that prevent us from doing the good things we care regarding; in all the closures that slow down our outbursts of generosity and do not allow us to open up to love; in the rubber walls of selfishness and indifference, which reject the commitment to building more just and human-scale cities and societies; in all the longings for peace broken by the cruelty of hatred and the ferocity of war.”
The victory of life over death
According to the Pontiff, “when we experience these disappointments, we have the feeling that many dreams are destined to be shattered and we too ask ourselves in anguish: who will roll back the stone from our tomb?”. But Christ’s Easter, he continued, is «the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope within the rubble of failure. It is the Lord, God of the impossible who, forever, rolled away the stone and began to open our tombs, so that hope has no end.” “From that moment – added Pope Francis -, if we let ourselves be taken by the hand by Jesus, no experience of failure and pain, no matter how much it hurts us, can have the last word on the meaning and destiny of our life”. From that moment, “if we allow ourselves to be grasped by the Risen One, no defeat, no suffering, no death will be able to stop our journey towards the fullness of life”.
The vigil
The Rite began in the atrium of the Basilica with the blessing of the fire and the preparation of the Paschal candle. The procession towards the Altar, with the lit Paschal candle and the singing of the Exsultet, was followed by the Liturgy of the Word and the Baptismal Liturgy, during which the Pope administered the sacrament of Christian initiation to eight adult neophytes: four Italians, two Koreans, one Japanese and one Albanian.
During the liturgy, in addition to baptism, the eight catechumens also received confirmation and first communion.
#Pope #Francis #Easter #rolls #boulders #death
2024-03-31 09:35:14
