Hello there. I offer an early Easter message to you.
“Christ Is Alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world. His very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!”
With these words, Pope Francis began an address to young people with the very first message found in the earliest preaching of the Church — in the words of St. Peter, “God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.” (Acts 2:32) Peter and all of the ancient saints continually preached the saving message that God raised Jesus from the dead and that all who believe in Him and follow Him will have eternal life.
It is this same message that we all need to hear today. In a world that seems to grow a bit darker every day, the truth of the resurrection gives us hope. In a country that seems to become more angry and divided each day, in a country that seems to have lost its way from one of community into one that is “me-first,” in a society that seems to become more vulgar, more cynical and more intolerant every day, the fact of Christ’s resurrection gives us the strength to counter those dark currents with purity of hearts that see ourselves as connected with others as our brothers and sisters.
Christ’s Church is both an earthly and heavenly reality in which Jesus is still present to us today, resurrected and glorified. “Jesus is risen, and he wants to make us sharers in the new life of the resurrection. He is the true youthfulness of a world grown old, the youthfulness of a universe waiting “in travail” (Rom 8:22) to be clothed with his light and to live his life. With him at our side, we can drink from the true wellspring that keeps alive all our dreams, our projects, our great ideals, while impelling us to proclaim what makes life truly worthwhile.” (Pope Francis)
By Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne