Celebrating the 9th Easter of his pontificate, Pope Francis made a homily at the Easter Vigil Mass, reflecting on what it means to go to Galilee, where the Risen Lord will precede his disciples.
By Robin Gomes
In times of darkness, when humanity is struggling with the pandemic and other ills, Christians need to take the angel’s paschal message seriously in order not to be afraid, guaranteed that in Galilee where the Lord precedes them, their expectations will be met, their tears will dry up and their fears will be replaced by hope. Pope Francis did this in his homily at the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday night.
Reflecting on the Easter episode of women at the tomb, the Pope drew attention to what the angel told them. “I am delighted to hear the words: ‘Don’t be afraid!” said the Pope. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen ‘. And a message: ‘He goes ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him. ‘ “
Always possible to start again
After the initial rite of the blessing of fire and the Easter candle inside the basilica, Pope Francis and the concelebrants went to the altar of the chair, with a deacon carrying the lit Easter candle. During the procession in the church in the dark, the candle flame was passed first to the Pope and then to the concelebrants and the limited number of the faithful. After the Pope went up the main corridor, the lights of the basilica were turned on.
Starting 9º On Easter of his pontificate, the 84-year-old pontiff in his homily reflected on what it means to go to Galilee. First, it means starting over. Galilee was the place where the disciples first met the Lord, their first love. It was here that they heard Him preach and perform miracles. It was also where they misunderstood His words and, before the cross, abandoned Him and fled.
Despite everything, the Lord invites you to start over from where you started. “In this Galilee,” said the Pope, “we learn to marvel at the Lord’s infinite love, which opens new paths in the path of our defeats.”
Therefore, he said, the first Easter message of return to Galilee is that “it is always possible to start again despite all of our failures. “From the rubble of our hearts,” said the Pope, “God can create a work of art; from the ruined remains of our humanity, God can prepare a new story. ”“ In these dark months of the pandemic ”, the Pope urged everyone to“ listen to the Risen Lord, who invites us to start again and never lose hope ”.
Jesus surprises, gives life to faith
Going to Galilee also means establishing new paths walking away from the tomb. For many, the Pope said, faith is made up of habits, things from the past, beautiful childhood memories, but it is no longer a faith that moves or challenges me. On the other hand, going to Galilee means giving life to the faith and getting back on the road. We must renew daily the astonishment of the first meeting and humbly let ourselves be surprised by the ways of God. “God,” said the Pope, “cannot be stored in the memories of our childhood, but it is alive and full of surprises. Risen from the dead, Jesus never ceases to surprise us. “
Therefore, Pope Francis’ second paschal message is that Christ is alive here and now. According to him, “Faith is not an album of past memories; Jesus is not out of date. ”“ He walks by your side every day, in every trial you have to endure, in your hopes and deepest dreams. Even if you feel that everything is lost, let yourself be amazed by the newness that Jesus brings: He will surely surprise you. “
Galilee of the peripheries
Going to Galilee also means going to the peripheries. Galilee, an outpost farther from Jerusalem’s ritual purity, was where Jesus began His mission. There, he brought his message to “those who struggle to live day to day, the excluded, the vulnerable and the poor”.
It is in the peripheries that God tirelessly seeks the discouraged or the lost. He goes to “the very peripheries of existence, because in His eyes no one is less, no one is excluded”. Thus, the Risen Lord asks his disciples to go to the environments of daily life, to the streets that we walk every day, to the corners of our cities. “There the Lord goes ahead of us and makes himself present in the lives of those around us, those who share our days, our home, our work, our difficulties and hopes”. The Pope said: “We will be amazed at how the greatness of God is revealed in smallness, how its beauty shines in the poor and simple”.
The third Easter message, therefore, is that the Risen Lord loves us without limits and is present at all times in our lives. “He invites us to overcome barriers, banish prejudices and bring us closer to those around us every day to rediscover the grace of everyday life. “” Let us recognize him here in our Galileas, in daily life, “urged the Pope.” In addition to all defeats, evil and violence, in addition to all suffering and death, “said the Pope,” the Risen One lives and guides the story. ”