Embracing the Transforming Power of the Paschal Mystery

This year, the Lord grants us a favorable time to prepare ourselves once again to celebrate the great mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus, which serves as the cornerstone of our personal and communal Christian life. We must continually return to this mystery in our hearts and minds, for it grows within us to the extent that we remain open to its spiritual power and respond with freedom and generosity.

Christian joy is born from hearing and accepting the Good News of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This message encapsulates a love so real, true, and concrete that it invites us into a relationship of openness and fruitful dialogue. Those who believe in this message reject the falsehood that our lives are ours to govern however we please. Instead, life is a gift born from the love of God the Father and His desire to grant us life in abundance. If, conversely, we listen to the tempting voice of the father of lies, we risk sinking into an abyss of absurdity and experiencing a hell on earth, as witnessed in the many tragic events that populate personal and collective human experience.

During this Lent of 2020, I wish to share with every Christian the words I addressed to young people in the Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit: Keep your gaze fixed on the outstretched arms of Christ crucified, and allow yourself to be saved again and again. When you go to confess your sins, believe firmly in the mercy that releases you from your guilt. Contemplate His blood, poured out with such immense love, and let yourself be purified by it. Through this, you will be able to be reborn forever. The Passion of Jesus is not merely a past event; rather, through the power of the Holy Spirit, it remains ever-present, enabling us to see and touch the flesh of Christ in those who suffer.