Pope: Easter Monday and brotherhood
During the Regina Caeli, Pope Francis said that "to communicate a reality so shocking” like the resurrection of Jesus “an intelligence superior to human intelligence" was required. “Jesus tore down the wall of division among men and restored peace, beginning to weave the web of a new [sense of] brotherhood.” The pontiff urged the crowd to repeat, "The Lord has truly risen!" and mentioned that today is World Awareness Day on Autism.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – To pronounce "for the first time . . . the words: 'He is risen' . . . a human word was not enough". This is why the first announcement of the resurrection was entrusted to an angel, said Pope Francis as he spoke before the Regina Caeli to the pilgrims in St Peter's Square and explained to them the tradition of calling Easter Monday, the ‘Monday of the Angel’. Immediately afterwards he focused on brotherhood as one of the most precious fruits of Christ's resurrection.
"The evangelists,” Francis said, “tell us that this first announcement [of the Risen] came from the angels, that is, the messengers of God. There is meaning in this angelic presence: Since it was an angel, Gabriel, who announced the Incarnation of the Word, so to announce the Resurrection for the first time, a human word was not enough. For this, a superior being was needed to communicate a reality so shocking, so incredible, that perhaps no man would dare pronounce it. After this first announcement, the community of disciples began to repeat: 'The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!’ (Lk 24:34), but the first announcement required an intelligence superior to human intelligence."
"Today,” the pontiff noted, “is a day of celebration and conviviality usually experienced in the family. After celebrating Easter, we feel the need to meet with our loved ones and with friends to celebrate. Because brotherhood is the fruit of the Passover of Christ who, with his death and resurrection, defeated the sin that separated man from God, man from himself, man from his brothers and sisters.
“Jesus tore down the wall of division among men and restored peace, beginning to weave the web of a new [sense of] brotherhood. It is so important in our time to rediscover brotherhood, just as it was experienced in the early Christian communities. There can be a no true communion nor commitment to the common good and social justice without brotherhood and sharing. Without brotherly sharing, an authentic ecclesial or civil community cannot be created: Only a group of individuals motivated by their own interests can exist.
“The Passover of Christ has made the novelty of dialogue and relationship explode in the world, a novelty that has become a responsibility for Christians. In fact, Jesus said: 'This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another' (Jn 13:35). This is why we cannot confine ourselves in our private world, in our group, but are called to take care of the common good, to take care for our brothers and sisters, especially the weakest and most marginalised. Only brotherhood can guarantee lasting peace, can defeat poverty, can extinguish tensions and wars, can eradicate corruption and crime."
During his address, the pontiff often stopped to urge the crowd to repeat the words: "The Lord has truly risen!"
After the Marian prayer of Easter time, the pontiff asked all those present to seize "every good opportunity to witness the peace of the Risen Lord, especially with respect to the most fragile and disadvantaged. [. . .] In this regard,” he added, “I wish to offer a special prayer for World Autism Awareness Day, which is celebrated today."
The pope then called for "the gift of peace for the whole world, especially for the populations who are suffering the most from ongoing conflicts". He also issued an appeal "so that those abducted or unjustly deprived of liberty can be released and go home."
.png)
05/04/2021 12:39
17/05/2018 13:56
17/04/2017 12:51
