Pope at Regina Coeli: ‘Jesus’s
gifts of peace, joy and mission’
Pope Francis celebrates the second Sunday of Easter
reflecting on how Jesus appeared to his disciples in the Upper Room, bringing
three gifts: peace, joy and apostolic mission.
By Linda Bordoni
Pope Francis addressed the faithful in St.
Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Regina CoeliPrayer with a
reflection on the Gospel of the day.
He recalled how on the second Sunday of Easter the Pope
appeared to the Apostles who had plunged into bewilderment and fear after the
capture and death sentence of their Master, revealing that he brought peace as
a fruit of his victory over evil.
‘Peace be with you’
“The Risen One brings authentic peace, because
through his sacrifice on the cross he has achieved reconciliation between God
and humanity and has overcome sin and death”, the Pope said.
He recalled how the apostle Thomas, who had not witnessed
first-hand the extraordinary event of the Lord’s appearance in the Upper Room,
needed Jesus to come forward to dispel his disbelief, inviting him to touch his
wounds.
“Those wounds represent the source of peace, because they
are the sign of the immense love of Jesus who defeated the forces that are
hostile to man: sin, evil and death”, he said.
The gift of joy
The second gift that the risen Jesus brings to his
disciples, Pope Francis said, is joy.
The evangelist, he explained, tells us that “the disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord”.
And reiterating that the Easter season is a time of joy, the
Pope said “Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest reason for our joy” as he has
destroyed the obstacles and negative forces of the world which prevent us from
being truly joyful.
Apostolic mission
In addition to peace and joy, Pope Francis continued, Jesus
also brings mission to his disciples.
He says to them “As the Father has sent me, I send you”
putting into motion a new dynamism of love which, the Pope said, is capable of
transforming the world with the power of the Holy Spirit.
This love, he said, is spread through the Apostles and their
successors, but also through all the faithful.
The Risen Jesus, Francis explained, entrusts every Christian
with the task of announcing the wonderful event of his Resurrection.
“Every baptized person is called to transmit the divine
gifts of peace and joy, thus continuing Jesus' saving mission in the world,
each according to his or her own vocation”.
On this second Sunday of Easter, he concluded, we are
invited to approach Christ with faith, opening our hearts to peace, joy and
mission, which is the proclamation of divine mercy, the joyful witness of his
transforming and redeeming love.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét