Pope Francis: the Resurrection is historical reality
April 19, 2017
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on hope, Pope Francis devoted his April 19 address to “the risen Christ, our hope.”
“In these joyful days of Easter, our continuing catechesis on Christian hope looks to the Risen Jesus,” the Pope said to those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Citing 1 Corinthians 15, he said that “St. Paul tells the Corinthians that Jesus himself is our hope. His resurrection is the event that grounds our faith; without our confident belief in its historical reality, the Christian faith would be a mere human philosophy, and Jesus himself simply another great religious figure.”
“Our belief is based on the testimony of those who encountered the Risen Christ, from St. Peter and the group of the Twelve to St. Paul, who was converted by his dramatic meeting with the Lord on the road to Damascus,” the Pope continued.
He added:
Encountering Christ in faith is always a surprise; it is a grace given to those whose hearts are open. It overturns our comfortable existence and opens us to an unexpected future, sowing life and light in place of death and sorrow.
This is the reason for our Easter joy: in the risen Jesus, who dwells in our midst, we encounter the power of God’s love, which triumphs over death and brings ever new life and undying hope.
Previous general audiences on hope:
- Isaiah 40: “Comfort, comfort my people…” (December 7)
- Isaiah 52: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings…” (December 14)
- Christ’s birth is the source of hope (December 21)
- Abraham’s hope against all hope (December 28)
- Rachel “is weeping for her children”, but... “there is hope for your descendants” (Jer. 31) (January 4)
- The false hopes of idols (January 11)
- Jonah: hope and prayer (January 18)
- Judith, the Courage of a Woman Restores Hope to a People (January 25)
- The helmet of hope (1 Thess. 5:4-11) (February 1)
- Hope, Source of Mutual Comfort and Peace (1 Thess. 5:12-22) (February 8)
- Hope Does Not Disappoint (February 15)
- For in this hope, we were saved (cf. Rom. 8:19-27) (February 22)
- Lent as a journey of hope (March 1; no audience March 8)
- Rejoice in hope (cf. Rom. 12:9-13) (March 15)
- On Hope Founded in the Word (March 22)
- Hope against All Hope (March 29)
- On accounting for our hope (April 5)
- Hopes of the world and hope of the Cross (cf. John 12:24-25) (April 12)
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
