VATICAN CITY, 12 APR 2009 (VIS) - Following the Easter Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord, celebrated in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI pronounced his Easter Message to thousands of faithful gathered there from all over the world, and imparted his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing.
"One of the questions that most preoccupies men and women", he said "is this: what is there after death? To this mystery today's solemnity allows us to respond that death does not have the last word, because Life will be victorious at the end. This certainty of ours is based not on simple human reasoning, but on a historical fact of faith: Jesus Christ, crucified and buried, is risen with His glorified body. Jesus is risen so that we too, believing in Him, may have eternal life. This proclamation is at the heart of the Gospel message".
"The Resurrection, then, is not a theory, but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of His 'Passover', His 'passage', that has opened a 'new way' between heaven and earth. It is neither a myth nor a dream, it is not a vision or a utopia, it is not a fairy tale, but it is a singular and unrepeatable event".
"The proclamation of the Lord's Resurrection lightens up the dark regions of the world in which we live. I am referring particularly to materialism and nihilism, to a vision of the world that is unable to move beyond what is scientifically verifiable, and retreats cheerlessly into a sense of emptiness which is thought to be the definitive destiny of human life. It is a fact that if Christ had not risen, 'emptiness' would be set to prevail. If we take away Christ and His Resurrection, there is no escape for man, and every one of his hopes remains an illusion".
Yet "if it is true that death no longer has power over man and over the world, there still remain very many, in fact too many signs of its former dominion. Even if through Easter, Christ has destroyed the root of evil, He still wants the assistance of men and women in every time and place who help Him to affirm His victory using His own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love. This is the message which, during my recent apostolic visit to Cameroon and Angola, I wanted to convey to the entire African continent, where I was welcomed with such great enthusiasm and readiness to listen.
"Africa", the Holy Father added, "suffers disproportionately from the cruel and unending conflicts, often forgotten, that are causing so much bloodshed and destruction in several of her nations, and from the growing number of her sons and daughters who fall prey to hunger, poverty and disease.
"I shall repeat the same message emphatically in the Holy Land, to which I shall have the joy of travelling in a few weeks from now. Reconciliation - difficult, but indispensable - is a precondition for a future of overall security and peaceful coexistence, and it can only be achieved through renewed, persevering and sincere efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My thoughts move outwards from the Holy Land to neighbouring countries, to the Middle East, to the whole world.
"At a time of world food shortage, of financial turmoil, of old and new forms of poverty, of disturbing climate change, of violence and deprivation which force many to leave their homelands in search of a less precarious form of existence, of the ever-present threat of terrorism, of growing fears over the future, it is urgent to rediscover grounds for hope. Let no one draw back from this peaceful battle that has been launched by Christ's Resurrection. For as I said earlier, Christ is looking for men and women who will help Him to affirm His victory using His own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love".
Having completed his Message Benedict XVI pronounced Easter greetings in more than 60 languages then, returning to Italian, once again recalled the people affected by the earthquake that struck the Abruzzi region of Italy on 6 April.
BXVI-HOLY WEEK/URBI ET ORBI/... VIS 20090415 (710)
"One of the questions that most preoccupies men and women", he said "is this: what is there after death? To this mystery today's solemnity allows us to respond that death does not have the last word, because Life will be victorious at the end. This certainty of ours is based not on simple human reasoning, but on a historical fact of faith: Jesus Christ, crucified and buried, is risen with His glorified body. Jesus is risen so that we too, believing in Him, may have eternal life. This proclamation is at the heart of the Gospel message".
"The Resurrection, then, is not a theory, but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of His 'Passover', His 'passage', that has opened a 'new way' between heaven and earth. It is neither a myth nor a dream, it is not a vision or a utopia, it is not a fairy tale, but it is a singular and unrepeatable event".
"The proclamation of the Lord's Resurrection lightens up the dark regions of the world in which we live. I am referring particularly to materialism and nihilism, to a vision of the world that is unable to move beyond what is scientifically verifiable, and retreats cheerlessly into a sense of emptiness which is thought to be the definitive destiny of human life. It is a fact that if Christ had not risen, 'emptiness' would be set to prevail. If we take away Christ and His Resurrection, there is no escape for man, and every one of his hopes remains an illusion".
Yet "if it is true that death no longer has power over man and over the world, there still remain very many, in fact too many signs of its former dominion. Even if through Easter, Christ has destroyed the root of evil, He still wants the assistance of men and women in every time and place who help Him to affirm His victory using His own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love. This is the message which, during my recent apostolic visit to Cameroon and Angola, I wanted to convey to the entire African continent, where I was welcomed with such great enthusiasm and readiness to listen.
"Africa", the Holy Father added, "suffers disproportionately from the cruel and unending conflicts, often forgotten, that are causing so much bloodshed and destruction in several of her nations, and from the growing number of her sons and daughters who fall prey to hunger, poverty and disease.
"I shall repeat the same message emphatically in the Holy Land, to which I shall have the joy of travelling in a few weeks from now. Reconciliation - difficult, but indispensable - is a precondition for a future of overall security and peaceful coexistence, and it can only be achieved through renewed, persevering and sincere efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My thoughts move outwards from the Holy Land to neighbouring countries, to the Middle East, to the whole world.
"At a time of world food shortage, of financial turmoil, of old and new forms of poverty, of disturbing climate change, of violence and deprivation which force many to leave their homelands in search of a less precarious form of existence, of the ever-present threat of terrorism, of growing fears over the future, it is urgent to rediscover grounds for hope. Let no one draw back from this peaceful battle that has been launched by Christ's Resurrection. For as I said earlier, Christ is looking for men and women who will help Him to affirm His victory using His own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love".
Having completed his Message Benedict XVI pronounced Easter greetings in more than 60 languages then, returning to Italian, once again recalled the people affected by the earthquake that struck the Abruzzi region of Italy on 6 April.
BXVI-HOLY WEEK/URBI ET ORBI/... VIS 20090415 (710)
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