In the night a Light is turned on

In this night the light speaks: passing from darkness to light is a beautiful experience. Darkness is always oppressive, but light is reassuring. But why darkness and why light? Life is this passage from darkness to light: a passage that we are all experiencing. In fact, we are on a journey.

The most beautiful book of the Old Testament is certainly Exodus. And the Exodus is the story of a people on their way to a promised land. But the Exodus is not only history: it is prophecy. “But all these things happened to them as an example”. (1 Cor 10:11), comments St Paul.

These people who walk are us. We are the people who are struggling towards freedom. Life is an Easter!
But where are we going? Where is life going? What lies beyond today? Those who have no answers to these questions have not yet begun to live.
A message has come to us, a piece of news: Christ has told us that life leads to God who is the Father. Let us make this news our own to the end: let us open our hearts to this Good News, which God gives us.

Is Christ credible? Two thousand years of messianic prophecies have been fulfilled in Him. It is not a fable, it is a fact. Pascal exclaimed: “Even his condemnation is an argument. It was foretold”.
Is Christ credible? He imposed himself on the world through the defeat of the crucifixion and it was foretold. A mere man cannot win that way.
Is Christ credible? His message, humanly speaking, is the most uncomfortable one can think of. Yet for two thousand years he has been stirring up the world, and men are unable to marginalise him.
Is Christ credible? For everyone there is a tomb. Christ’s tomb is empty. And for two thousand years millions and millions of people have claimed that He is alive: Christ is risen!

A ghost would have been more than forgotten in two thousand years of history: instead Christ is alive, more alive than ever because Christ is risen! Did Paul of Tarsus delude himself? Did Benedict of Norcia delude himself? Did Francis of Assisi delude himself? Was Galileo Galilei deluded when he remained faithful to Christ, even when the men of Christ were unjustly fighting him? Was Alessandro Volta deluded, who loved Christ with all his soul? Was Guglielmo Marconi deluded when he exclaimed, “I am proud to believe in Christ”? Was Mother Teresa deluded? And so many other men? And so many other women?
No! Brothers and sisters! It is easier for us to delude ourselves by persisting in our unbelief.

But if Christ is risen, life has a whole new meaning. Every day is Easter: because every day is a journey towards God; every day something old in us dies and we take a step towards life.
Every day is Easter: because every day I must walk, I must take the good step, which is a step towards God.
Let us enter into this spirit: let us feel like pilgrims towards God. We are poor wayfarers who possess nothing: we have only hope. And this hope is the Risen Christ!
Let us help each other on this journey.
Let us give each other the hand of charity: we do not lack “things” to be happy, we lack “who” gives meaning to things: and this is God and only God.

We have walked together this Lent: thanks be to God, thanks be to you!
We have walked together during this Holy Week: thanks be to God, thanks be to you!
But the journey continues: let us tell God that we are ready.

Let us say the “yes” to our Baptism: it is as if on this night the story of our salvation begins again and we become children again in the arms of God.

* Cardinal