By Courtney MARES
Vatican City, April 19, 2025/15:15
The candle lit up the Saint-Pierre basilica during the mass of the day before Easter on the Holy Saturday where the homily of Pope Francis, read in his name, proclaimed the resurrection of Christ as “the definitive turning point in human history”.
“He makes us to proclaim this hope for Easter, this” turning point “where the darkness becomes light,” wrote the pope in the homily, delivered by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the Cardinaux College.
“Ruition Christ … is the hope that does not fade. He is the love that accompanies us and supports us, “he said. “It is the future of history, the ultimate destination to which we walk, to be welcomed in this new life in which the Lord himself will have all our tears and” death, mourning and crying and pain will no longer be “. »»
Although Pope Francis did not chair the liturgy because of his current recovery of recent hospitalization for double pneumonia, he made a surprise appearance in the basilica about two hours before mass. He stopped to pray and greet some of the pilgrims who were waiting for hours for Easter Mass in the Vatican.
The pope, who delegated the cardinals to chair all the events of Holy Week, told Cardinal Re. The mass included the blessing of the new fire, the lighting of the Pascale candle and the song of the song ExultA hymn recalling the history of the salvation of creation to the resurrection of Christ.
Thirty-four cardinal, 24 bishops and around 250 priests treated silently through the dark basilica with lit candles, symbolizing the light of Christ overcoming darkness.
The basilica gradually lit throughout the liturgy to Gloria, when the bells rang and the altar was revealed decorated with Easter flowers.
During the vigil, three people from Italy and Albania were baptized. The congregation prayed to the litany of the Saints and has renewed their baptismal promises.
“In the risen Jesus, we are certain that our personal history and that of our human family, although always immersed in a dark night where the lights seem distant and dark, are nevertheless in the hands of God,” wrote the pope. “In his great love, he will not let us vacillate or allow the evil to have the last word.”
By referring to the year of the jubilee, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to “let Easter hope out” in their lives.
“When the thought of death is heavy on our hearts … When we feel the wounds of selfishness or violence … Do we not lose to heart,” he wrote. “Light shines quietly, even if we are in the dark … and a new start, as impossible as it may seem, can take us by surprise.”
Pope Francis called on Christians to become messengers of this Easter hope through daily love acts.
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“We can do it by our words, by our little daily acts, by decisions inspired by the Gospel,” he wrote. “Our life can be a presence of hope. We want to be this presence for those who lack faith in the Lord … for those who have abandoned … for the poor and the oppressed … for the child and for the children who are mistreated; And for the victims of the war. To each of them allow us to get the hope of Easter!
According to the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, vicar general emeritus of the city of the Vatican, should preside over Easter Sunday on Saint-Pierre square.
Courtney Mares is a Rome correspondent for the Catholic press agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she reported on News on three continents and received the Gardner Stock Exchange for her work with North Korean refugees. She is the author of “Brussed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers” (Ignatius, 2023), https://ignatius.com/carlo-cutis-scap/.
