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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Regina Caeli Message
On the Resurrection and the Eucharist
"He Nourishes Us Spiritually and Infuses Us with Strength"
H.H. Benedict XVI
April 13, 2009
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In these days of Easter we shall often hear Jesus' words resound: "I
am risen and I am with you always." Echoing this good news, the
Church proclaims exultantly: "Yes, we are certain! The Lord is truly
risen, alleluia! The power and the glory are his, now and forever."
The whole Church rejoices, expressing her sentiments by singing:
"This is the day of Our Lord Jesus Christ". In fact, in rising from
the dead, Jesus inaugurated his eternal day and has opened the door
to our joy, too. "I will not die," he says, "but will have
everlasting life."
The crucified Son of man, the stone rejected by the builders, has
now become the solid foundation of the new spiritual edifice which
is the Church, his mystical Body. The People of God, which has
Christ as its invisible Head, is destined to grow in the course of
the centuries until the complete fulfillment of the plan of
salvation.
Then the whole of humanity will be incorporated into him and every
existing reality will be penetrated with his total victory. Then, as
St. Paul writes, he will be "the fullness of him who fills all in
all" (cf. Eph 1: 23), and "God may be everything to everyone" (1 Cor
15: 28).
Thus it is right for the Christian community to rejoice all of us
because the Resurrection of the Lord assures us that the divine plan
of salvation, despite all the obscurity of history, will certainly
be brought about. This is why his Passover truly is our hope. And
we, risen with Christ through Baptism, must now follow him
faithfully in holiness of life, advancing towards the eternal
Passover, sustained by the knowledge that the difficulties,
struggles and trials of human life, including death, henceforth can
no longer separate us from him and his love.
His Resurrection has formed a bridge between the world and eternal
life over which every man and every woman can cross to reach the
true goal of our earthly pilgrimage.
"I am risen and I am with you always." This assurance of Jesus is
realized above all in the Eucharist; it is in every Eucharistic
Celebration that the Church and every one of her members experience
his living presence and benefit from the full richness of his love.
In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the risen Lord is present and
mercifully purifies us from our sins; he nourishes us spiritually
and infuses us with strength to withstand the harsh trials of life
and the fight against sin and evil.
He is the sturdy support in our pilgrimage towards the eternal
dwelling place in Heaven. May the Virgin Mary, who experienced
beside her divine Son every phase of his mission on earth, help us
to welcome with faith the gift of Easter and make us faithful and
joyful witnesses of the risen Lord.
[After the Regina Caeli, the Pope greeted the pilgrims in various
languages. In English, he said:]
I am pleased to welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims to this
Regina Caeli. My dear friends, our song of joy on the night of
Jesus' Resurrection "Rejoice heavenly powers! Exult all creation!"
continues to resound throughout these eight days of solemn
celebration. The Lord of heaven and earth has arisen in glory! His
splendor continues to shine upon the human race, giving strength to
the weak, relief to the suffering and comfort to the dying. I pray
that Christ's gift of new life will grow in your hearts and lead you
along the way of eternal salvation. God bless you all! To all of you
once again, Happy Easter!
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