Pope: the Resurrection is the foundation of our faith

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday, November 3, celebrated Mass in remembrance of all the Cardinals and Bishops who died during the past year.

During the Mass, which was held in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope reminded us that thanks to the Resurrection of Jesus our faith is full of the joy of truth and eternal life.

Reflecting on the reading from the second Book of Maccabees in which the ruler of Jerusalem collects “two thousand silver drachmas for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection” (2 Mac 12, 43-46),  – the Pope said – that thanks to God’s Word this celebration is enlightened by our faith in the Resurrection.

The whole of Divine Revelation – he said – is the fruit of dialogue between God and his people, and faith too is bound to this dialogue that accompanies the people of God in history.

It is no wonder – Pope Francis said – that such a great, important and superhuman mystery as the Resurrection required such a long journey in time, up until the coming of Jesus Christ.

Jesus can say: “I am the Resurrection and the life” (John 11, 25) because in Him this mystery not only is fully revealed, through Him, for the first time, it becomes reality.

And recalling the Gospel of Mark that tells of the death of Jesus and of the empty tomb, the Pope pointed out that this episode represents the culmination of that journey in time: the event of the Resurrection that responds to the quest of God’s people, to the quest of every man and of the whole of humanity.

Each of us – Pope Francis said – is invited to be part of this event. We are called to stand before the Cross of Jesus, like Mary, like the women, like the centurion listening to his cry, to his last breath and finally to the silence; that silence that persists throughout Holy Saturday. And then we are called to go to the tomb to see that the large stone has been rolled back and to listen to the news: “He has been raised, he is not here” (Mark 16, 6). That is where the answer is, that is where the foundation is, the rock. Not in “wise and persuasive words” – the Pope said –  but in the living Word of the Cross and in the Resurrection of Christ.

This is what the Apostle Paul preaches – the Pope continued – the Resurrection of the crucified Jesus Christ. If He has not risen, our faith is empty and inconsistent. But seeing that He has risen, that He is the Resurrection, then our faith is full of truth and eternal life.

So – Pope Francis concluded – renewing tradition today we offer the Sacrifice of the Eucharist in suffrage of our brother Cardinals and Bishops who have died during the past twelve months. And our prayer is enriched by the sentiments, the memories, and the gratitude for the testimonies of people we have known, and with whom we have shared service within the Church. Many of their faces – he said – are before our eyes, and all of them are lovingly and mercifully looked upon by our heavenly Father.

And invoking the intercession of our celestial Mother for these beloved sons of Hers, Pope Francis prayed that they may relish the joy of the New Jerusalem together with all the faithful that have served on earth.

(from Vatican Radio)

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday, November 3, celebrated Mass in remembrance of all the Cardinals and Bishops who died during the past year.

During the Mass, which was held in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope reminded us that thanks to the Resurrection of Jesus our faith is full of the joy of truth and eternal life.

Reflecting on the reading from the second Book of Maccabees in which the ruler of Jerusalem collects “two thousand silver drachmas for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection” (2 Mac 12, 43-46),  – the Pope said – that thanks to God’s Word this celebration is enlightened by our faith in the Resurrection.

The whole of Divine Revelation – he said – is the fruit of dialogue between God and his people, and faith too is bound to this dialogue that accompanies the people of God in history.

It is no wonder – Pope Francis said – that such a great, important and superhuman mystery as the Resurrection required such a long journey in time, up until the coming of Jesus Christ.

Jesus can say: “I am the Resurrection and the life” (John 11, 25) because in Him this mystery not only is fully revealed, through Him, for the first time, it becomes reality.

And recalling the Gospel of Mark that tells of the death of Jesus and of the empty tomb, the Pope pointed out that this episode represents the culmination of that journey in time: the event of the Resurrection that responds to the quest of God’s people, to the quest of every man and of the whole of humanity.

Each of us – Pope Francis said – is invited to be part of this event. We are called to stand before the Cross of Jesus, like Mary, like the women, like the centurion listening to his cry, to his last breath and finally to the silence; that silence that persists throughout Holy Saturday. And then we are called to go to the tomb to see that the large stone has been rolled back and to listen to the news: “He has been raised, he is not here” (Mark 16, 6). That is where the answer is, that is where the foundation is, the rock. Not in “wise and persuasive words” – the Pope said –  but in the living Word of the Cross and in the Resurrection of Christ.

This is what the Apostle Paul preaches – the Pope continued – the Resurrection of the crucified Jesus Christ. If He has not risen, our faith is empty and inconsistent. But seeing that He has risen, that He is the Resurrection, then our faith is full of truth and eternal life.

So – Pope Francis concluded – renewing tradition today we offer the Sacrifice of the Eucharist in suffrage of our brother Cardinals and Bishops who have died during the past twelve months. And our prayer is enriched by the sentiments, the memories, and the gratitude for the testimonies of people we have known, and with whom we have shared service within the Church. Many of their faces – he said – are before our eyes, and all of them are lovingly and mercifully looked upon by our heavenly Father.

And invoking the intercession of our celestial Mother for these beloved sons of Hers, Pope Francis prayed that they may relish the joy of the New Jerusalem together with all the faithful that have served on earth.

(from Vatican Radio)