Pope: Women were the first witnesses of the Resurrection, and are fundamental to the faith today
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - From the Resurrection women have had " and still have a special role in opening doors to the Lord, in following him and communicating his face, because the eyes of faith always need the simple and profound look of love": "this is beautiful, and this is the mission of women, of mothers and women, to give witness to their children and grandchildren that Christ is Risen! Mothers go forward with this witness!". Underlining the importance of women in the transmission of the faith - also relevant for the historicity of the Gospels - today at the general audience Pope Francis has taken up the issues related to the Year of Faith, interrupted by the resignation of Benedict XVI.
To 35 thousand people present in St Peter's Square, the Pope spoke of the
sentence of the Creed that says "on the third day he rose again according
to the Scriptures." " This is the very event that we are celebrating"
he said " the Resurrection of Jesus, the center of the Christian message that
has resounded since the beginning and has been handed down so that it may reach
us today. Saint Paul writes to the Christians of Corinth: "For I handed on
to you ...what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with
the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the
Twelve"(1 Cor 15:3-5). This brief confession of faith announces the
Paschal Mystery, with the first appearances of the Risen Christ to Peter and
the Twelve: the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our hope.
Without this faith in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus our hope would be
weak, but it wouldn'0t even be hope, the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the
heart of our hope. The Apostle says: "If Christ has not been raised, your
faith is vain; you are still in your sins". "Unfortunately - he
observed - there have
often been attempts to obscure faith in the Resurrection of Jesus, and doubts
have crept in even among believers themselves. A watered down faith, as we
would say, not a strong faith. This is because of superficiality, sometimes
because of indifference, occupied by a thousand things considered more
important than the faith, or because of a purely horizontal vision of life. But
it is the Resurrection that gives us the greatest hope, because it opens our
lives and the life of the world to the eternal future of God, to full
happiness, to the certainty that evil, sin, death can be defeated. And this
leads us to live everyday realities with more confidence, to face them with
courage and commitment. The Resurrection of Christ shines a new light on these
daily realities. The Resurrection of Christ is our strength!. "
"But how was the
truth of faith in Christ's Resurrection transmitted? There are two kinds of witness
in the New Testament: some are in the form of the profession of the faith,
namely, synthetic formulas that indicate the center of the faith. Instead,
others are in the form of an account of the event of the Resurrection
and the facts connected to it". "First, we note that the first witnesses to this event were the women. At
dawn, they go to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, and find the first sign:
the empty tomb (Mk 16:1). This is followed by an encounter with a Messenger of
God who proclaims: Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, he is not here, he is
risen (cf. vv. 5-6). The women are driven by love and know how to accept this
proclamation with faith: they believe, and immediately transmit it, they do not
keep it for themselves. They cannot contain the joy of knowing that Jesus is
alive, the hope that fills their heart. This should also be the same in our
lives. Let us feel the joy of being Christian! We believe in the Risen One who
has conquered evil and death! Let us also have the courage to "go
out" to bring this joy and light to all the places of our lives! The
Resurrection of Christ is our greatest certainty, it is our most precious
treasure! How can we not share this treasure, this beautiful certainty with
others! It's not just for us it's to be transmitted, shared with others this is
our testimony!".
The Pope highlighted how in the professions of faith " only men are remembered as witnesses of the Resurrection, the Apostles,
but not the women. This is because, according to the Jewish Law of the time,
women and children were not considered reliable, credible witnesses. In the
Gospels, however, women have a primary, fundamental role. Here we can see an
argument in favor of the historicity of the Resurrection: if it were a
invented, in the context of that time it would not have been linked to the testimony
of women. Instead, the evangelists simply narrate what happened: the women were
the first witnesses. This tells us that God does not choose according to human
criteria: the first witnesses of the birth of Jesus are the shepherds, simple
and humble people, the first witnesses of the Resurrection are women. This is
beautiful, and this is the mission of women, of mothers and women, to give
witness to their children and grandchildren that Christ is Risen! Mothers go
forward with this witness! What matters to God is our heart, if we are open to
Him, if we are like trusting children. But this also leads us to reflect on how
in the Church and in the journey of faith, women have had and still have a
special role in opening doors to the Lord, in following him and communicating
his face ".
"The Apostles and
disciples find it harder to believe in the Risen Christ, not the women however!
Peter runs to the tomb, but stops before the empty tomb; Thomas has to touch
the wounds of the body of Jesus with his hands. In our journey of faith it is
important to know and feel that God loves us, do not be afraid to love: faith
is professed with the mouth and heart, with the word and love.. "
The Resurrection proves that "evil, sin, death can be defeated and this
leads to live with confidence everyday realities", the Resurrection illuminates
these realities, the Resurrection is our strength. "
"After the apparitions
to the women - continued the Pope -,there were others: Jesus becomes present in
a new way: He is the Crucified One, but his body is glorious; He did not return
to an earthly life, but a new condition. At first they did not recognize him,
and only through his words and deeds were their eyes opened: the encounter with
the Risen Lord transforms, it gives new strength to faith, an unshakable
foundation. The Risen Christ also reveals Himself to us with many signs: Sacred
Scripture, the Eucharist, the other Sacraments, charity, these gestures of love
bring a ray of the Risen One. Let us be enlightened by the Resurrection of
Christ, let us be transformed by His power, so that through us the signs of
death give way to signs of life in the world!. " Finally, breaking
from his texted address Francis concluded: "I see that there are many
young people in the Square! Young boys and girls, to you I say bring forth this
certainty to the world: the Lord is Alive and walks beside us on our life's
journey! Bring forth this hope, be anchored in this hope, the hope that comes
from heaven! Be anchored and bring forth the hope! You witnesses of Christ
bring forth hope to this world that is aged by wars and sin! Go forward young
people! "