At noon today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace to recite the Regina Caeli with the faithful and with pilgrims who had gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Regina Caeli
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and once again Happy Easter!
On this first Monday after Easter, the gospel (cf Mt 28:8-15) presents the account of the women who, arriving at the tomb of Jesus, find it empty and see an angel who tells them that He is risen. While they run to the disciples to tell them the good news, they meet Jesus himself who says to them: Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; they will see me there (Mt 28:10). Galilee is the remote location where Jesus began his preaching; from that place, the good news of the Resurrection was spread, so that it could be announced to everyone, and so that every person could encounter Him, the Risen One, present and working throughout history. Even today, He is with us, here in the Square.
This therefore is the proclamation that the Church has repeated since its earliest days: Christ is risen! In Him, through Baptism, we are also risen, we pass from death to life, from slavery to sin to the freedom of love. This is the good news that we are called to share with others and in every place, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Faith in the Resurrection of Jesus is the wisdom that He has given us, the most beautiful gift that a Christian could and should offer to his brothers and sisters. To each and everyone, therefore, let us never tire of repeating: Christ is risen! Let's repeat it together, today in the Square: Christ is risen! Let us repeat it in words, but above all through the witness of our lives. The joyful news of the Resurrection must be visible on our faces, in our feelings and our attitudes, in the way we treat others.
On this first Monday after Easter, the gospel (cf Mt 28:8-15) presents the account of the women who, arriving at the tomb of Jesus, find it empty and see an angel who tells them that He is risen. While they run to the disciples to tell them the good news, they meet Jesus himself who says to them: Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; they will see me there (Mt 28:10). Galilee is the remote location where Jesus began his preaching; from that place, the good news of the Resurrection was spread, so that it could be announced to everyone, and so that every person could encounter Him, the Risen One, present and working throughout history. Even today, He is with us, here in the Square.
This therefore is the proclamation that the Church has repeated since its earliest days: Christ is risen! In Him, through Baptism, we are also risen, we pass from death to life, from slavery to sin to the freedom of love. This is the good news that we are called to share with others and in every place, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Faith in the Resurrection of Jesus is the wisdom that He has given us, the most beautiful gift that a Christian could and should offer to his brothers and sisters. To each and everyone, therefore, let us never tire of repeating: Christ is risen! Let's repeat it together, today in the Square: Christ is risen! Let us repeat it in words, but above all through the witness of our lives. The joyful news of the Resurrection must be visible on our faces, in our feelings and our attitudes, in the way we treat others.
We proclaim the Resurrection of Christ when his light warms and enlightens the dark moments of our existence and we can share this good news with others; when we know how to smile with those who smile, to cry with those who cry; when we walk beside those who are sad and are at the risk of losing hope; when we recount our own experience of faith to those who are trying to find meaning and happiness in their lives. With our attitudes, through our witness, by the way we live our lives, we say: Jesus is risen! We speak these words with our entire being.
We are now in the period of the Octave of Easter, during which we are enjoying the glorious climate of the Resurrection. It's curious: the liturgy considers the entire Octave as if it were one day, to help us enter into the mystery, so that its grace might be imprinted into our hearts and our lives. Easter is the event that brought a radical newness to every human being, to our history and to our world: it is the triumph of life over death; the feast of reawakening and regeneration. May our lives be conquered and transformed by the Resurrection!
Let us ask the Virgin Mother, silent witness to the death and resurrection of her Son, to make Easter joy grow in us. We do that now with the reciting of the Regina Caeli, which during the Season of Easter replaces the prayer of the Angelus. In this prayer, punctuated by the Alleluia, we turn to Mary, inviting her to rejoice because the One that she carried in her womb is risen as he promised, and we rely on her intercession. In truth, our joy is a reflection of Mary's joy, because She was the one who cared for Jesus and faithfully witnessed the events in Jesus' life. Let us therefore recite that prayer with the emotions of children who are happy because there Mother is happy.
Queen of Heaven rejoice, Alleluia!
He who you did not merit to bear, Alleluia!
Has risen as He said, Alleluia!
Pray to God for us, Alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, Alleluia!
Following the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father continued:
In this beautiful time of Easter, I cordially greet you all, dear pilgrims who have come from Italy and from various parts of the world to participate in these moments of prayer. In particular, I am happy to welcome the delegation from the Shalom Movement, which has arrived in the final stages of the solidarity relay intended to raise public awareness of the persecution of Christians around the world. Your journey through the streets is now complete, but it must continue as you continue the spiritual journey of intense prayer, of concrete participation and of tangible assistance in defence of the protection of our brothers and sisters, persecuted, exiled, killed, decapitated, for no other reason than that they were Christians. They are our modern-day martyrs, and there are so many of them, we can say that they are more numerous than the martyrs of the first centuries. I hope that the International Community will not remain mute and inactive in the fact of such unacceptable crimes, which constitute a preoccupying depravity of the most basic human rights. I truly hope that the International Community will not look the other way.
To each of you, I wish a week of joy and serenity in which the joy of Christ's Resurrection might be prolonged. In order to live this period more intensely - I always return to the same logic - it would be good to read every day a bit of the Gospel in which we are told about the events of the Resurrection. Every day, a small part of the passage.
Have a good and holy week! Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye!
He who you did not merit to bear, Alleluia!
Has risen as He said, Alleluia!
Pray to God for us, Alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, Alleluia!
Following the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father continued:
In this beautiful time of Easter, I cordially greet you all, dear pilgrims who have come from Italy and from various parts of the world to participate in these moments of prayer. In particular, I am happy to welcome the delegation from the Shalom Movement, which has arrived in the final stages of the solidarity relay intended to raise public awareness of the persecution of Christians around the world. Your journey through the streets is now complete, but it must continue as you continue the spiritual journey of intense prayer, of concrete participation and of tangible assistance in defence of the protection of our brothers and sisters, persecuted, exiled, killed, decapitated, for no other reason than that they were Christians. They are our modern-day martyrs, and there are so many of them, we can say that they are more numerous than the martyrs of the first centuries. I hope that the International Community will not remain mute and inactive in the fact of such unacceptable crimes, which constitute a preoccupying depravity of the most basic human rights. I truly hope that the International Community will not look the other way.
To each of you, I wish a week of joy and serenity in which the joy of Christ's Resurrection might be prolonged. In order to live this period more intensely - I always return to the same logic - it would be good to read every day a bit of the Gospel in which we are told about the events of the Resurrection. Every day, a small part of the passage.
Have a good and holy week! Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye!
No comments:
Post a Comment