Via Lucis: the complete guide to the devotion of Easter time
C. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
T. Amen
C. The love of the Father, the grace of the son Jesus and the communion of the Holy Spirit are with you all.
T. And with your Spirit.
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
C. Life is an unceasing journey. On this path we are not alone. The Risen One promised: "I am with you every day until the end of the world". Life must be a path of continuous resurrection. We will rediscover the resurrection as a source of peace, as an energy for joy, as a stimulus to the novelty of history. We will hear it proclaimed in the biblical text and expanded in the actualization to our today, which is the "today" of God.
Reader: After the resurrection, Jesus started walking on our roads. We contemplate this journey in fourteen stages: it is the Via lucis, a symmetrical itinerary to the Via crucis. We will go through them. To remember his stages. To design ours. Christian life is in fact a witness to him, the risen Christ. Being witnesses of the Risen One means being more joyful every day. Every day more courageous. More industrious every day.
C. LET US PRAY
Pour out on us, Father, your Spirit of light, so that we can penetrate the mystery of the Easter of your Son, which marks the true destiny of man. Give us the Spirit of the Risen One and make us capable of loving. Thus we will witness his Easter. He lives and reigns for ever and ever.
T. Amen
FIRST STEP:
JESUS RISES FROM DEATH
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF MATTEO (Mt 28,1-7)
After Saturday, at dawn on the first day of the week, Maria di Màgdala and the other Maria went to visit the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake: an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, approached, rolled the stone and sat on it. Her appearance was like lightning and her snow-white dress. For the fear that the guards had of him trembled dazed. But the angel said to the women: “Do not be afraid, you! I know you are looking for Jesus the crucifix. It is not here. He is risen, as he said; come and see the place where it was laid. Soon, go and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead, and now he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see it. Here, I told you. "
COMMENT
It often happens that the night falls on our lives: lack of work, hope, peace…. There are many who lie in the grave of violence, inertia, depressions, oppressions, disappointments. To live often is to pretend to live. But that announcement rings out loud: "Don't be afraid! Jesus is truly risen ». Believers are called to be angels, that is, credible announcers for all the others of this extraordinary news. Today is no longer the time of the crusades: freeing the sepulcher of Christ. Today there is an urgency to free every poor Christ from his sepulcher. Help each person to combine courage and hope.
LET'S PRAY
Risen Jesus, the world needs to listen to the ever new proclamation of your Gospel. It still raises women who are enthusiastic messengers of the root of new life: your Easter. Give all Christians a new heart and new life. Let us think as you think, let us love as you love, let us design as you projects, let us serve as you serve, who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
SECOND STAGE
THE DISCIPLES FIND THE EMPTY BURNER
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Jn 20,1: 9-XNUMX)
On the day after the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb early in the morning, when it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been overturned by the tomb. He ran then and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them: "They took the Lord away from the tomb and we do not know where they placed him!". Then Simon Peter went out with the other disciple, and they went to the sepulcher. Both ran together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and came first to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the bandages on the ground, but did not enter. Meanwhile, Simon Peter also came to follow him and entered the tomb and saw the bandages on the ground, and the shroud, which had been placed on his head, not on the ground with the bandages, but folded in a separate place. Then the other disciple, who had come first to the tomb, also entered and saw and believed. They had not yet understood the Scripture, which he had to raise from the dead.
COMMENT
Death seems to checkmate life: the game is over. Next others. Mary of Magdala, Peter and John make, for the first time in history, the observation that Jesus gave death to death. Only on this condition does joy explode. Rejoice with the same force with which the strongest seals are blown. Everything wins love. If you believe in the victory of the Risen One over the invincibility of the ultimate death and of many penultimate deaths, you will make it. You will be able to go up and you will go up. Together singing the hymn to life.
LET'S PRAY
Only you, the risen Jesus, lead us to the joy of life. Only you show us a tomb emptied from the inside. Make us convinced that, without you, our power is powerless in the face of death. Arrange for us to trust totally in the omnipotence of love, which conquers death. You who live and reign forever and ever. T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
THIRD STAGE:
THE RESOURCE SHOWS AT MADDALENA
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Jn 20,11: 18-XNUMX).
Maria, on the other hand, stood outside near the tomb and wept. As she wept, she leaned towards the sepulcher and saw two angels in white robes, seated one on the side of the head and the other of the feet, where the body of Jesus had been placed. And they said to her: "Woman, why are you crying? ? ". He answered them, "They took my Lord away and I don't know where they placed him." Having said this, he turned back and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her: “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?". She, thinking that he was the custodian of the garden, said to him: "Lord, if you took it away, tell me where you placed it and I will go and get it."
Jesus said to her: "Mary!". Then she turned to him and said to him in Hebrew: "Rabbi!", Which means: Master! Jesus said to her: “Do not hold me back, because I have not yet gone up to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them: I go up to my Father and your Father, my God and your God ”. Mary of Magdala went immediately to announce to the disciples: "I have seen the Lord" and also what he had said to her.
COMMENT
As Mary of Magdala did, it is a matter of continuing to seek God even in times of doubt, even when the sun disappears, when the journey becomes arduous. And, like Mary of Magdala, you hear yourself called. He pronounces the name, your name: you feel touched by God. Then your heart goes mad with joy: the risen Jesus is beside you, with the young face of a battered thirty year old. The young face of a victorious and living one. He entrusts the delivery to you: «Go, announce that Christ is alive. And you need it alive! ». He says it to everyone, especially to women, who recognize in Jesus the one who first gave back to the woman, humiliated for centuries, voice, dignity, ability to announce.
LET'S PRAY
Risen Jesus, you call me because you love me. In my daily space I can recognize you as the Magdalene recognized you. You say to me: "Go and announce to my brothers." Help me to go on the streets of the world, in my family, in the school, in the office, in the factory, in the many areas of free time, to fulfill the great delivery that is the announcement of life. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
FOURTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE ON THE EMMAUS ROAD
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF LUCA (Lk 24,13-19.25-27)
And behold, on that same day two of them were on their way to a village about seven miles from Jerusalem, called Èmmaus, And they talked about everything that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself approached and walked with them. But their eyes were unable to recognize it. And he said to them, "What are these talks you are making among you on the way?". They stopped, their faces sad; one of them, named Cleopa, said to him, "Are you the only foreigner in Jerusalem that you don't know what has happened to you these days?" He asked, "What?" They answered him: “Everything concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a powerful prophet in works and words, before God and all the people. And he said to them, "Foolish and heartfelt in believing the word of the prophets! Didn't Christ have to endure these sufferings to enter his glory? ”. And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them in all the scriptures what referred to him.
COMMENT
Jerusalem - Emmaus: the path of the resigned. They conjugate the verb to hope in the past tense: "We hoped". And it is immediately sadness. And here he comes: he joins the glaciers of sadness, and little by little the ice melts. The heat follows the cold, the light the dark. The world needs the enthusiasm of Christians. You can tremble and get excited about many things, but you can only get excited if you have certainties in your mind and tenderness in your heart. The Risen One is beside us, ready to explain that life has a meaning, that pains are not agony, but the pains of a birth of love, that life wins over death.
LET'S PRAY
Stay with us, the risen Jesus: the evening of doubt and anxiety presses on the heart of every man. Stay with us, Lord: and we will be in your company, and that's enough for us. Stay with us, Lord, because it is evening. And make us witnesses of your Easter. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
FIFTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE SHOWS UP THE BREAD BREAK
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF LUCA (Lk 24,28-35)
When they were near the village where they were headed, he acted as if he had to go further. But they insisted: "Stay with us because it is evening and the day is already turning to decline". He entered to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. But he disappeared from their sight. And they said to each other, "Didn't our hearts burn in our breasts as they conversed with us along the way when they explained the scriptures to us?" And they left without delay and returned to Jerusalem, where they found the Eleven and the others who were with them, who said: "Truly the Lord is risen and has appeared to Simon." They then reported what had happened along the way and how they recognized it in breaking the bread.
COMMENT
The crossroads of Emmaus. The good heart makes the two exclaim: "Stay with us". And they invite him to their canteen. And they see before their eyes the poor table of a small inn transform into the great table of the Last Supper. Blindfolded eyes open. And the two disciples find light and strength to retrace the road to Jerusalem. Insofar as we welcome the poor of bread, the poor of heart, the poor of meaning, we are prepared to experience Christ. And to run on the roads of today's world to announce to everyone the good news that the Crucifix is alive.
LET'S PRAY
Risen Jesus: in your last Supper before the Passion you showed the meaning of the Eucharist with the washing of the feet. In your Risen Risen you indicated in hospitality a way for communion with you. Lord of glory, help us live our celebrations by washing the tired feet of the least, hosting the needy of today in the heart and in the houses. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
SIXTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE IS SHOWN ALIVE TO THE DISCIPLES
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF LUCA (Lk 24,36- 43).
While they were talking about these things, Jesus himself appeared among them and said: "Peace be with you!". Amazed and frightened they believed they saw a ghost. But he said, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your heart? Look at my hands and my feet: it's really me! Touch me and look; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you see I have. " Saying this, he showed them his hands and feet. But since for great joy they still didn't believe and were amazed, he said: "Do you have anything to eat here?". They offered him a portion of roasted fish; he took it and ate it before them.
COMMENT
The fear of the ghost, the prejudice of the impossible prevent us from accepting reality. And Jesus invites his: "Touch me". But they are still hesitant: it's too good to be true. And Jesus responds with the request to eat with them. Joy at this point explodes. The incredible becomes palpable, the dream becomes a sign. So is that really true? So is it not forbidden to dream? To dream that love overcomes hatred, that life overcomes death, that experience overcomes mistrust. True, Christ is alive! Faith is true, we can trust it: it is the Risen One! To maintain the freshness of faith, every dawn must be reborn; it is necessary to accept the challenge of passing, like the apostles in the upper room, from terror to security, from fearful love to courageous love.
LET'S PRAY
Risen Jesus, give us to treat you as the Living One. And free us from the ghosts that we build of you. Make us capable of presenting ourselves as your signs, for the world to believe.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
SEVENTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE GIVES THE POWER TO PUT SINS BACK
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Jn 20,19: 23-XNUMX).
On the evening of that same day, the first after Saturday, while the doors of the place where the disciples were for fear of the Jews were closed, Jesus came, stopped among them and said: "Peace be with you!". Having said that, he showed them his hands and his side. And the disciples rejoiced at seeing the Lord. Jesus said to them again: “Peace to you! As the Father sent me, I also send you. " After saying this, he breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit; to whom you forgive sins they will be forgiven and to whom you will not forgive them, they will remain unremitted. "
COMMENT
Terror closes. Love opens. And love also comes in behind closed doors. Risen love enters. Encourage. And donate. It offers its breath of life, the Holy Spirit, life of the Father and the Son. It offers it not as a safe to watch, but as a new air to communicate. Fresh air in the world; sins are not unsurpassed rocks. So it is possible to rejuvenate. The breath of the Risen One is today received in the sacrament of reconciliation: «You are a new creature; go and bring fresh air everywhere ».
LET'S PRAY
Come, Holy Spirit. Be the enthusiasm of the Father and the Son in us, who swim in boredom and in the dark. Push us to justice and peace and unlock us from our death capsules. Blow on these dried-up bones and make us pass from sin to grace. Make us women and men enthusiastic, make us Easter experts. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
EIGHTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE CONFIRMS THE FAITH OF TOMMASO
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Jn 20,24: 29-XNUMX)
Thomas, one of the Twelve, called God, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples then said to him: "We have seen the Lord!". But he said to them, "If I do not see the sign of the nails in his hands and do not put my finger in the place of the nails and do not put my hand in his side, I will not believe." Eight days later the disciples were at home again and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, behind closed doors, stopped among them and said: "Peace be with you!". Then he said to Thomas: “Put your finger here and look at my hands; stretch out your hand, and put it in my side; and no longer be incredulous but a believer! ". Thomas replied: "My Lord and my God!". Jesus said to him: "Because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those who, even if they have not seen, will believe!".
COMMENT
Thomas keeps in his heart the atrocious doubt: but can it ever be? His doubt and irony are providential, because they have taken care of our doubts and our easy irony. «Come here, Tommaso, put your finger, stretch out your hand». The doubtful, but honest, surrenders and the light of the Spirit does the rest: "My Lord, my God!". Faith is to bet on the inconceivable, knowing full well that God is totally other. It is accepting the mystery. Which does not mean giving up reasoning, but thinking upwards and forwards. Faith is to believe in the sun when you are in the dark, in love when you live in hate. It is a leap, yes, but into the arms of God. With Christ everything is possible. The reason for life is faith in the God of life, the certainty that when everything collapses, he never fails.
LET'S PRAY
O risen Jesus, faith is not easy, but it makes you happy. Faith is trusting you in darkness. Faith is to rely on you in trials. Lord of life, increase our faith. Give us the faith, which has its root in your Easter. Give us confidence, which is the flower of this Easter. Give us fidelity, which is the fruit of this Easter. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
NINTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE MEETS WITH HER AT THE TIBERIADE LAKE
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Jn 21,1: 9.13-XNUMX).
After these facts, Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples on the sea of Tiberiade. And it was thus manifested: they were together Simon Peter, Thomas called Dídimo, Natanaèle of Cana of Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing." They said to him, "We will come with you too." Then they went out and got into the boat; but on that night they took nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus appeared on the shore, but the disciples had not noticed that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them: "Children, have you nothing to eat?". They said to him, "No." Then he said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find it." They threw it and could no longer pull it up for the large amount of fish. Then that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter: "It is the Lord!". As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his shirt on his hips, as he was stripped, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples instead came with the boat, dragging the net full of fish: in fact they were not far from the ground if not a hundred meters. As soon as they got off the ground, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it, and some bread. Then Jesus approached, took the bread and gave it to them, and so did the fish.
COMMENT
The Risen One meets on the crossroads of everyday life: houses, inns, roads, lake. It fits into the folds of men's dramas and hopes and brings a breath of youth by multiplying goods, especially when it seems that human hopes are at the end. And the fish overflow; and the banquet can be prepared. Here, near the lake, the new law of life is learned: only by dividing it multiplies. To multiply goods you need to know how to share them. To truly capitalize, one must fully solidarize. When I am hungry it is a personal problem, when the other is hungry it is a moral problem. Christ is hungry in more than half of mankind. To believe in Christ is to become capable of resurrecting those who are still in the grave.
LET'S PRAY
Risen Jesus, appearing resurrected for forty days, you did not show yourself the victorious God amidst lightning and thunder, but the simple God of the ordinary, who loves to celebrate Easter even on the shore of a lake. You sit at our canteens of sated but empty men. Sit in the canteens of poor men who still have hope. Make us witnesses of your Easter in everyday life. And the world you love will be modeled on your Easter. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
TENTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE PROVIDES THE PRIMATO A PIETRO
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Jn 21, 15-17)
When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter: "Simon of John, do you love me more than these?". He replied: "Of course, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." Again he said to him, "Simon of John, do you love me?" He replied: "Of course, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him: "Feed my sheep." For the third time she said to him: "Simone di Giovanni, do you love me?". Peter was grieved that for the third time he said to him: Do you love me ?, and said to him: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. " Jesus replied, "Feed my sheep."
COMMENT
"Simone di Giovanni, do you love me?" It is almost a song of the songs of the New Testament. Three times the Risen One asks Peter: "Do you love me?" Christ is the bridegroom of new humanity. In fact, he shares everything with the bride: his Father, the Kingdom, the Mother, the body and the blood in the Eucharist. Like Peter, we too are summoned, called by name. "You love Me?". And we, like Pietro who had betrayed him three times, feel intimidated in answering him. But with him, with the courage that comes from his Spirit, we say to him: "You know everything, you know that I love you". To love means to see the other as God conceived him, and to give oneself, to always give oneself.
LET'S PRAY
We thank you, risen Jesus, for the gift of the Church, founded on the faith and love of Peter. Every day you also ask us: "Do you love me more than these?". To us, with Peter and under Peter, you entrust the construction of your Kingdom. And we rely on you. Persuade us, Master and giver of life, that only if we love will we be living stones in building the Church; and only with our sacrifice will we make it grow in your truth and in your peace. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
ELEVENTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE ENTRUST THE UNIVERSAL MISSION TO THE DISCIPLES
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE GOSPEL OF MATTEO (Mt 28, 16-20)
Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, on the mountain that Jesus had fixed on them. When they saw him, they bowed down to him; however, some doubted. And Jesus, approaching, said to them: “I have been given all power in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and teach all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Behold, I am with you every day, until the end of the world. "
COMMENT
Being called is an honor. Being sent is a commitment. A mission succeeds each convocation: "I will always be with you, and you will act in my name." Overwhelming task, if you consider it on the shoulders of man. It is not human energy, it is divine-human synergy. "I am with you, do not be afraid". The tasks are different, the mission is unique: make the cause of Jesus his own, what he lived for and offered himself: the Kingdom of justice, love, peace. Go anywhere, on all roads and in all places. The good news that everyone is waiting for must be given.
LET'S PRAY
Risen Jesus, your promise comes comforting: "I am with you every day". By ourselves we are unable to carry the slightest weight with perseverance. We are weakness, you are strength. We are inconstancy, you are perseverance. We are fear, you are courage. We are sadness, you are joy. We are the night, you are the light. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
TWELFTH STAGE:
THE RISEN RISES TO THE SKY
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (Acts 1,6-11)
So when they came together they asked him: "Lord, is this the time when you will reconstitute the kingdom of Israel?". But he replied: “It is not for you to know the times and moments that the Father has reserved for his choice, but you will have strength from the Holy Spirit who will descend on you and you will witness me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and up at the ends of the earth ". Having said that, he was raised high before their eyes and a cloud took him out of their sight. And since they were staring at the sky while he was leaving, two men in white robes came to them and said, "Men of Galilee, why are you looking at the sky?" This Jesus, who has been hired from heaven to you, will return one day in the same way you saw him go to heaven. "
COMMENT
There is a close relationship between earth and sky. With the incarnation the sky came down to earth. With ascension the earth has ascended to heaven. We build the city of man on earth, to inhabit the city of God in heaven. The logic of the earth makes us remain earth-earth, but it does not make us happy. The logic of ascension, on the other hand, takes us from earth to heaven: we will ascend to heaven if we ascend to the life of the earth those who are humiliated and without dignity.
LET'S PRAY
Risen Jesus, you went to prepare a place for us. Make our eyes fixed where there is eternal joy. Looking to full Easter, we will strive to make Easter on earth for every man and man. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
U. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
THIRTEENTH STAGE:
WITH MARY WAITING FOR THE SPIRIT
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (Acts 1,12: 14-XNUMX).
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Olive Tree, which is as close to Jerusalem as the path allowed on a Saturday. When they entered the city they went upstairs where they lived. There were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas of James. All of these were assiduous and in agreement in prayer, together with some women and with Mary, the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.
COMMENT
The mother of Jesus, present from the beginning, cannot miss at the peak. In the Magnificat he had sung the God of Easter who gave history a human face: "He sent the rich away, he laid the powerful, he put the poor at the center, he raised the humble". Now watch with Jesus' friends for the start of the new dawn. Christians are also in a waking regime, with Mary. It educates us to keep our hands folded in order to know how to keep our hands open, our hands offered, our hands clean, our hands hurt by love, like those of the Risen One.
LET'S PRAY
Jesus, risen from death, always present in your Easter community, pour out on us, through the intercession of Mary, still today, your holy Spirit and your beloved Father: the Spirit of life, the Spirit of joy, the Spirit of peace , the Spirit of strength, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of Easter. You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
FOURTEENTH STAGE:
THE RESOURCE SENDS THE PROMISED SPIRIT TO THE DISCIPLES
C. We adore you, risen Jesus, and we bless you.
T. Because with your Easter you gave birth to the world.
FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (Acts 2,1-6)
As the day of Pentecost was about to end, they were all together in the same place. Suddenly a rumble came from the sky, as of a strong wind, and filled the whole house where they were. Tongues of fire appeared to them, dividing and resting on each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the power to express themselves. At that time, observant Jews from every nation under heaven were in Jerusalem. When that noise came, the crowd gathered and was stunned because everyone heard them speak their own language.
COMMENT
The promised Spirit comes and transforms everything he touches. Touch the womb of a virgin, and behold she becomes a mother. Touch a humiliated corpse, and behold the body rises. Touch a crowd of men and here is a body of believers ready for anything, up to martyrdom. Pentecost is the breath that gives impetus in a flat world of mediocrity, monotonous and hopeless in the future. Pentecost is fire, it is enthusiasm. The sun setting today will rise more beautiful tomorrow. The night does not turn off the sun. God does not put the solution to our problems in our hands. But it gives us hands to solve problems.
LET'S PRAY
O Holy Spirit, who ineffably unites the Father and the Son, it is you who unites us with the risen Jesus, the breath of our life; it is you who unites us to the Church, of which you are the soul, and we are the members. With Saint Augustine, each of us begs you: "Breathe in me, Holy Spirit, because I think what is holy. Push me, Holy Spirit, to do what is holy. You draw me, Holy Spirit, because I love what is holy. You fortify me, Holy Spirit, so that I never lose what is holy ». You who live and reign forever and ever.
T. Amen
T. Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
PROFESSION OF BAPTISMAL FAITH
A candle is distributed to each of the participants. The celebrant will light the candle to the Easter candle and offer light to those present by saying to them:
C. Receive the light of the risen Christ.
T. Amen.
C. Baptism is the Easter of the Risen Christ attended by man. We conclude our itinerary by renewing the baptismal promises, grateful to the Father, who continues to call us from darkness in the light of his Kingdom.
C. Happy are those who believe in God, the God of love who created the visible and invisible universe.
T: We believe.
C. Happy are those who believe that God is our Father and who want to share his joy with us.
T: We believe.
C. Happy are those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary two thousand years ago.
T: We believe.
C. Happy are those who believe that Jesus saved us by dying on the cross.
T: We believe.
C. Happy are those who believe in the Easter dawn in which Christ rose from the dead.
T: We believe.
C. Happy are those who believe in the Holy Spirit who lives in our choirs and teaches us to love.
T: We believe.
C. Happy are those who believe in God's forgiveness! And to the Church where we meet the living God.
T: We believe.
C. Death is not the last word, we will all one day be raised and Jesus will gather us together with the Father.
T: We believe.
CONCLUSION RITES
C. May the Spirit of holiness strengthen your faith.
T. Amen.
C. The Spirit of love makes your charity disinterested.
T. Amen.
C. May the spirit of consolation make your hope confident.
T. Amen.
C. Upon all of you who have participated in this celebration, may the blessing of Almighty God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, descend.
T. Amen.
C. In the faith of the risen Christ, go in peace.
T. We thank God.