Pope preaches off-the-cuff Easter Sunday homily

April 17, 2017

Pope Francis celebrated an outdoor Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square and delivered an extemporaneous homily.

“The Church never ceases to say, faced with our defeats, our closed and fearful hearts, ‘Stop, the Lord is risen,’” he preached. “But if the Lord is risen, how come these things happen?”

He continued:

Nobody asks us: “But, are you happy with all that’s happening in the world?” Are you willing to go forward, carrying a cross, as Jesus did? …

In this culture of waste what is not needed is thrown away, discarded, that stone—Jesus—is discarded and is the source of life. And we too, pebbles on the ground, in this land of pain, tragedy, with faith in the Risen Christ we have a wisdom in the midst of many calamities.

 

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Further information:

• 2017.04.16 Easter Mass (YouTube Vatican)
• Pope Easter Sunday Mass: Hold fast to faith (Vatican Radio)
• Booklet for the Celebration (Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff)
• Santa Messa del giorno nella Pasqua di Risurrezione, 16.04.2017 (Holy See Press Office)