Pope Francis urged young Italians on pilgrimage to Rome this Easter to follow Jesus’ words: “Do not be afraid!”
Newsroom (19/04/2022 8:00 AM, Gaudium Press) On Easter Monday, April 18, Pope Francis delivered a speech addressing a crowd of young people and teenagers who were part of a pilgrimage organized by the Youth Ministry of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. Aged between 12 and 17, the young pilgrims numbered more than 50,000 people.
Using the text of the day’s liturgy, Francis paused on the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ: “Do not be afraid.”
The Pontiff explained that fears are our daily enemies, especially the fear of death or our neighbours’ death. And he recalled that at Easter, “Jesus conquered death.”
Therefore, he noted, it is crucial to listen on Easter morning and every morning to the invitation of the Risen One, who tells us, “Do not fear.”
Next, Francis wondered what is the remedy to overcome fear. And he explained that Our Lord also gives the solution: “go and proclaim!”
Fear imprisons us while proclamation makes us go out to encounter others. “If we open ourselves and take the Gospel, our hearts expand and overcome fear,” the Pope said.
However, Francis warned the young people that the proclamation of the Gospel has an enemy: lies.
The Roman soldiers’ account of the theft of Our Lord’s body is a lie, and “lies pollute the proclamation, corrupt it within, and lead to the grave. The Risen Lord, on the contrary, wants us to come out of the tombs of falsehood and duplicity.”
Therefore, we need to pay attention to the lies within us. Before beginning the Regina Coeli prayer, the Pope concluded by saying that Our Lord wants to “make us transparent and luminous witnesses of the joy of the Gospel, of the truth that sets us free” (FM)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
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