‘Help us to sing with our lives’: An Easter Reflection from St. John Paul II

An Orthodox icon of the Anastasis, or the Resurrection of Christ, is seen in a monastery in Saint-Laurent-en-Royans, France. Jesus is shown wrapped in white cloth, descending into hell to raise up Adam, at left, and Eve, at right. from their graves. Jesus is also shown gazing out towards viewers while trampling over locks, keys and other metalworks that chain souls to hell. (Pascal Deloche / GODONG)

“Surrexit Dominus de sepulcro qui pro nobis pependit in ligno” (from the Liturgy). “The Lord is risen from the tomb; for our sake He hung on the Cross.” Alleluia!

The Easter proclamation joyfully resounds: Christ is risen! He is truly risen! He who “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried,” Jesus, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, “rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

Let there be an end to the chain of hatred and terrorism, which threatens the orderly development of the human family. May God grant that we be free from the peril of a tragic clash between cultures and religions.

May faith and love of God make the followers of every religion courageous builders of understanding and forgiveness, patient weavers of a fruitful interreligious dialogue, capable of inaugurating a new era of justice and peace. As He said to the terrified Apostles on the wind-swept sea, Christ says once more to the men and women of our time: “Take heart, it is I; have no fear!” (Mark 6:50).

If He is with us, why should we fear? However dark the horizon of humanity may seem, today we celebrate the radiant triumph of Easter joy. If a contrary wind slows the march of peoples, if the sea of history is tossed by storms, let no one yield to dismay and lack of trust! Christ is risen; Christ is alive in our midst; truly present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, He offers Himself as the Bread of salvation, Bread for the poor, the Food of wayfarers.

O divine presence of love, O living memorial of Christ our Pasch, for the suffering and the dying you are food for their journey, for everyone you are the sure pledge of eternal life!

O Mary, the first tabernacle of history, silent witness of the wonders of Easter, help us to sing with our lives your own Magnificat of praise and thanksgiving, for today “The Lord is risen from the tomb; for our sake He hung on the Cross.” Christ is risen, our peace and our hope. He is risen. Alleluia! 

— An excerpt from the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ message given by St. John Paul II on April 20, 2003, almost 20 years ago. April 2 marked the 18th anniversary of the Polish pontiff’s death in 2005.