At 12:00 noon today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Regina Coeli (the Marian prayer that replaces the Angelus during the liturgical season of Easter) with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
On this Monday after Easter, known as Angel Monday, our hearts are still filled with Easter joy. Following the Lenten season, a time of penance and conversion, which the Church has lived with particular intensity during this Holy Year of Mercy; after the meaningful celebrations of the Holy Triduum; we stand today before the empty tomb of Jesus, and meditate with wonder and gratitude on the great mystery of the Lord's resurrection.
Life has triumphed over death. Mercy and love have triumphed over sin! We need faith and hope to open ourselves to this new and marvellous horizon. And we know that faith and hope are gifts from God, and we must ask him: Lord, give me faith, give me hope! We need this so much! Let us allow ourselves to be pervaded by the emotions that resound in the Easter sequence: Yes we are certain: Christ is truly risen. The Lord is risen among us! This truth indelibly marked the lives of the Apostles who, after the resurrection, were once again motivated to follow their Master and, to receive the Holy Spirit, fearlessly going out to proclaim to everyone what they had seen with their own eyes and experienced in their own lives.
During this Jubilee Year, we are called to rediscover the comforting proclamation of the resurreciton and to welcome it with particular intensity: Christ, my hope, is risen! If Christ is risen, we can see every event of our lives with new eyes and hearts, even the most negative happenings. Moments of darkness, failure and even sin can transform and proclaim a new journey. When we have touched the depths of our suffering and our weakness, the risen Christ gives us the strength to pick ourselves up. If we confide ourselves to Him, his grace saves us! The crucified and risen Lord is the full revelation of mercy, present and at work throughout history. This is the Easter message that still resonates today and that will continue to resound throughout the season of Easter until Pentecost.
Mary was a silent witness to the events of the passion and the resurrection of Jesus. She stood at the foot of the cross: she did not crumble beneath the weight of her grief; instead, her faith made her strong. In her maternal heart, even as it was being broken, there was always a flicker of hope. Let us ask her to help us also to welcome the fullness of the Easter proclamation of the resurrection, and to embody it in the reality of our daily lives.
May the Virgin Mary give us the certainty of faith that every painful moment of our journey may be illuminated by the light of Easter and become a blessing and a joy for us and for others, especially for those who suffer because of self-centredness and indifference.
Let us therefore call upon her, with faith and devotion, with the Regina Coeli, the prayer that replaces the Angelus during the Easter season.
After the recitation of the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in central Pakistan, the Easter celebrations were bloodied by an indescribable attack, which caused the massacre of many innocent people, for the most part families of the Christian minority - especially women and children - who were gathered in a public park to enjoy the joy of Easter celebrations. I want to demonstrate my closeness to those who are affected by this cowardly and senseless crime, and invite you to pray to the Lord for the many victims and for their loved ones.
I call upon all civil authorities and all components of those nations, that they do everything in their power to restore security and peace to their people and, in particular, to religious minorities who are the most vulnerable. I repeat once again my finding that violence and murderous hatred only lead to suffering and destruction; respect and fraternity are the only means that lead to peace. May the Lord's Resurrection inspire us, more fervent prayer to God that the hands of the violent who sow violence and death may be stopped, and that love, justice and reconciliation may reign throughout the world. Let us all pray for those who have died in this attack, for their families, and for the Christian and ethnic minorities in those countries: Hail Mary ...
In the continuing spirit of Easter, I cordially greet you all, pilgrims from Italy and from various other parts of the world who have come to participate in this moment of prayer. Always remember the beautiful expression in the Liturgy: Christ, my hope, is risen! Let us say it together three times: Christ, my hope, is risen! Christ, my hope, is risen! Christ, my hope, is risen!
I hope that each of you will spend this week in joy and peace of mind, extending the joy of the Resurrection of Christ. In order to live this moment more intensely, it would be good to read a little part of the gospel each day, the gospel that speaks of the events of the Resurrection. Five minutes, not longer, you can read a little passage of the gospel. Remember this!
A happy and holy Easter Week to all of you! Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Regina Coeli
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
On this Monday after Easter, known as Angel Monday, our hearts are still filled with Easter joy. Following the Lenten season, a time of penance and conversion, which the Church has lived with particular intensity during this Holy Year of Mercy; after the meaningful celebrations of the Holy Triduum; we stand today before the empty tomb of Jesus, and meditate with wonder and gratitude on the great mystery of the Lord's resurrection.
Life has triumphed over death. Mercy and love have triumphed over sin! We need faith and hope to open ourselves to this new and marvellous horizon. And we know that faith and hope are gifts from God, and we must ask him: Lord, give me faith, give me hope! We need this so much! Let us allow ourselves to be pervaded by the emotions that resound in the Easter sequence: Yes we are certain: Christ is truly risen. The Lord is risen among us! This truth indelibly marked the lives of the Apostles who, after the resurrection, were once again motivated to follow their Master and, to receive the Holy Spirit, fearlessly going out to proclaim to everyone what they had seen with their own eyes and experienced in their own lives.
During this Jubilee Year, we are called to rediscover the comforting proclamation of the resurreciton and to welcome it with particular intensity: Christ, my hope, is risen! If Christ is risen, we can see every event of our lives with new eyes and hearts, even the most negative happenings. Moments of darkness, failure and even sin can transform and proclaim a new journey. When we have touched the depths of our suffering and our weakness, the risen Christ gives us the strength to pick ourselves up. If we confide ourselves to Him, his grace saves us! The crucified and risen Lord is the full revelation of mercy, present and at work throughout history. This is the Easter message that still resonates today and that will continue to resound throughout the season of Easter until Pentecost.
Mary was a silent witness to the events of the passion and the resurrection of Jesus. She stood at the foot of the cross: she did not crumble beneath the weight of her grief; instead, her faith made her strong. In her maternal heart, even as it was being broken, there was always a flicker of hope. Let us ask her to help us also to welcome the fullness of the Easter proclamation of the resurrection, and to embody it in the reality of our daily lives.
May the Virgin Mary give us the certainty of faith that every painful moment of our journey may be illuminated by the light of Easter and become a blessing and a joy for us and for others, especially for those who suffer because of self-centredness and indifference.
Let us therefore call upon her, with faith and devotion, with the Regina Coeli, the prayer that replaces the Angelus during the Easter season.
After the recitation of the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in central Pakistan, the Easter celebrations were bloodied by an indescribable attack, which caused the massacre of many innocent people, for the most part families of the Christian minority - especially women and children - who were gathered in a public park to enjoy the joy of Easter celebrations. I want to demonstrate my closeness to those who are affected by this cowardly and senseless crime, and invite you to pray to the Lord for the many victims and for their loved ones.
I call upon all civil authorities and all components of those nations, that they do everything in their power to restore security and peace to their people and, in particular, to religious minorities who are the most vulnerable. I repeat once again my finding that violence and murderous hatred only lead to suffering and destruction; respect and fraternity are the only means that lead to peace. May the Lord's Resurrection inspire us, more fervent prayer to God that the hands of the violent who sow violence and death may be stopped, and that love, justice and reconciliation may reign throughout the world. Let us all pray for those who have died in this attack, for their families, and for the Christian and ethnic minorities in those countries: Hail Mary ...
In the continuing spirit of Easter, I cordially greet you all, pilgrims from Italy and from various other parts of the world who have come to participate in this moment of prayer. Always remember the beautiful expression in the Liturgy: Christ, my hope, is risen! Let us say it together three times: Christ, my hope, is risen! Christ, my hope, is risen! Christ, my hope, is risen!
I hope that each of you will spend this week in joy and peace of mind, extending the joy of the Resurrection of Christ. In order to live this moment more intensely, it would be good to read a little part of the gospel each day, the gospel that speaks of the events of the Resurrection. Five minutes, not longer, you can read a little passage of the gospel. Remember this!
A happy and holy Easter Week to all of you! Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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