“Do not despair in the darkness of the pandemic, starting over is possible” – Corriere.it

“In these dark months of the pandemic we hear the Risen Lord inviting us to start over, never to lose hope.” For the second time the Pope celebrates the Easter Vigil in a half-empty Basilica, again without baptisms, Francis lights the candle and leads the procession to the altar of the Chair, still limping from the sciatica that has plagued him for a long time, while the lights return. to be enlightened with the song of Gloria. And if last year he urged not to give in to “resignation” in the “darkest hour”, this year the Pope urges us to look forward.your: “Here is the first Easter announcement that I would like to give you: it is always possible to start over because there is a new life that God is able to restart in us beyond all our failures. Even from the rubble of our heart – each of us knows it – God can build a work of art, even from the ruined fragments of our humanity God prepares a new story. He always precedes us: on the cross of suffering, desolation and death, as well as in the glory of a life that rises, of a history that changes, of a hope that is reborn.».

Francis’s reflection on the Gospel account of the resurrection focuses on the angel’s words to the women, “full of fear and amazement” in the empty tomb of Jesus: “He goes before you to Galilee, there you will see him” . And “to go to Galilee”, the Pope explains, “means above all to start over”, to return “to the place where for the first time the Lord sought his disciples and called them to follow him, the place of the first meeting and first love.” But it also means “Following new paths”, moving “in the opposite direction to the grave”, looking forward: “Many live the“ faith of memories ”, as if Jesus were a character from the past, a friend from his youth now distant, a fact that happened a long time ago, when I was attending catechism as a child. A faith made of habits, of things from the past, of good childhood memories, which no longer touches me, no longer challenges me. Going to Galilee, on the other hand, means learning that faith, to be alive, must return to the road ”, without being afraid“ of the surprises of God ”. And this is “the second Easter announcement,” he continues: “Jesus is not an old-fashioned character. He is alive, here and now. Walk with you every day, in the situation that you are living, in the trial that you are going through, in the dreams that you carry inside. It opens new paths where it seems that there are none, it pushes you to go against the current of regret and the “already seen”. Even if everything seems lost, open yourself with amazement to its novelty: it will surprise you ».

Finally, going to Galilee means “going to the frontiers”, towards “the farthest place”, because “in that compound and variegated region live those furthest from the ritual purity of Jerusalem.” but still “Jesus began his mission from there, directing the announcement to those who lead daily life with difficulty, to the excluded, the fragile, the poor”Francisco, considers: “It is the place of daily life, it is the roads that we travel every day, it is the corners of our cities where the Lord precedes us and is present, precisely in the lives of those who pass by and share with us the time, home, work, efforts and hopes. In Galilee we learn that we can find the Risen One in the faces of our brothers, in the enthusiasm of those who dream and in the resignation of the discouraged, in the smiles of those who rejoice and in the tears of those who suffer. , especially in the poor and the marginalized. “Hence” the third Easter announcement “that the Pope addresses to the faithful:” Jesus, the Risen One, loves us without limits and goes through all the situations of our life. “He planted his presence in the heart of the world and also invites us to overcome barriers, overcome prejudices, get closer every day to those around us, to rediscover the grace of everyday life. Let us recognize him present in our Galilee, in everyday life. With him, life It will change. Because beyond all defeat, evil and violence, beyond all suffering and death, the Risen One lives and leads history. “

The last words of the Pope, again, exhort us to look to the future with hope: “Sister, brother, if you carry in your heart a dark hour tonight, a day that has not yet dawned, a buried light, a shattered dream, go , open your heart with amazement at the announcement of Easter: “Do not fear, he is risen! He awaits you in Galilee.” Your expectations will not be unfinished, your tears will dry, your fears will be overcome by hope. Because the Lord always goes before you, He walks before you. And, with him, life always begins again.