While celebrating the 9th Easter of his Pontificate, Pope Francis delivered a sermon during the Easter Vigil, reflecting on what it means to go to Galilee, where the Risen Lord would lead His disciples.
By Robin Gomes
In the hour of darkness when mankind is grappling with the pandemic and other ills, Christians must take to heart the angel’s Easter message so as not to be afraid, confident that in Galilee where the Lord goes before them, their hopes will be fulfilled, their tears will be dried, and their fears will be replaced with hope. Pope Francis made this point in his sermon during the Easter vigil on Saturday evening in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Reflecting on the Easter delivery of the women at the tomb, the Pope drew attention to what the angel was telling them. “Be amazed when you hear the words, ‘Don’t be afraid!’ said the Pope, “You are seeking Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen.”
Always possible to start over
After the first rite of the blessing of the fire and the Easter candle in the basilica, Pope Francis and the concelebrants made their way to the altar of the chair, with a deacon carrying the lit Easter candle. During the procession in the darkened church, the flame of the candle was first passed on to the Pope and then gradually to the concelebrants and the limited number of believers. After the Pope walked down the main path, the lights of the basilica came on.
Ushering in the 9th At Easter of his Pontificate, the 84-year-old Pope reflected in his sermon on what it means to go to Galilee. First of all, it means starting over. Galilee was the site of the disciples’ first encounter with the Lord, their first love. It was here that they listened to Him and worked miracles. It was also the place where they misunderstood His words, and in front of the cross they abandoned Him and fled.
Despite everything, the Lord invites them to start over from where they started. “In this Galilee,” said the Pope, “we learn to marvel at the infinite love of the Lord, which opens new paths in the path of our defeats.”
Therefore, he said, the first Easter message of the return to Galilee is:it is always possible to start over despite all our failures. “Out of the rubble of our hearts,” said the Pope, “God can make a work of art; God can prepare a new history from the destroyed remains of our mankind. “In these dark months of the pandemic,” the Pope urged everyone to “listen to the risen Lord as He invites us to start over and never lose hope”.
Jesus surprises, makes faith alive
Going to Galilee also means breaking new ground by running away from the grave. For many, the Pope said, faith consists of habits, things from the past, beautiful childhood memories, but no longer a belief that moves or challenges me. On the other hand, going to Galilee means quickening the faith and moving on again. We must daily renew the amazement of the first meeting and let ourselves be humbly surprised by God’s ways. “God,” said the Pope, “cannot be written in between our childhood memories, but is alive and full of surprises. Raised from the dead, Jesus continues to amaze us. “
That is why Pope Francis’s second Easter message is that Christ lives here and now. According to him, “Faith is not an album with memories from the past; Jesus is not out of date. He walks by your side every day, through every trial you face, in your deepest hopes and dreams. Even when you feel that all is lost, open yourself to wonder at the newness that Jesus brings: He will certainly surprise you. “
The Galilee of Peripheries
Going to Galilee also means go to the peripheryIn Galilee, an outpost farthest from the ritual purity of Jerusalem, Jesus began his mission. There He delivered His message to “those who struggle from day to day to live, the excluded, the vulnerable and the poor.”
In the peripheries, God tirelessly seeks out those who are discouraged or lost. He goes to the “outer peripheries of existence, since in His eyes no one is the least, no one is excluded”. That is why the risen Lord asks His disciples to go to the surroundings of everyday life, the streets we travel through every day, the corners of our cities. “That’s where the Lord comes before us and makes Himself present in the lives of those around us, those who share in our day, home, work, challenges, and hope.” The Pope said, “We will be amazed how the greatness of God is revealed in smallness, how His beauty shines in the poor and the simple.”
The third Easter message, therefore, is that the Risen Lord loves us boundlessly and is present at every moment of our lives. “He invites us to overcome barriers, overcome prejudices, and get closer to those around us every day to grace of everyday life“Let us recognize Him here in our Galiles, in our daily life,” urged the Pope. Beyond all defeat, evil and violence, beyond all suffering and death, “said the Pope,” the Risen One lives and guides history. ”