The Resurrection of Christ, our True Hope

0
345

Easter Message of Father General to the Redemptorist Family

Missionaries of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer
YEAR DEDICATED TO MISSION
The Lord who sends us as Missionaries and Pilgrims of Hope in a wounded world
Lk 4:16-19, Mk 6:7-12, Lk 9:2-6, Ps 130:7 Const. 1-20, St. 01-020

DEAR CONFRERES, FORMANDI AND LAY PARTNERS IN OUR MISSION,

  1. We celebrate the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection, which is presented as our true hope. The apostle Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans that ‘hope does not deceive’ (Rom 5:5). This is the firm foundation on which our faith rests: the hope that, through the death and Resurrection of Jesus, we are called to a new life, to victory over death and to the transformation of our being.
  2. Jesus, our Hope, continues to walk among us with his wounded but glorified body, showing us, that hope is not extinguished, even in the midst of difficulties, pain and suffering. He reveals to us that true hope – that which is born of the cross – is capable of illuminating the darkest paths, of giving strength in adversity and of always pushing us forward. Certainly, this requires of us a great leap of faith.
  3. We are celebrating the great Jubilee of Hope. Hope is not an illusion or a mere wish; it is a virtue which, even when wounded, persists, remains steadfast in its purpose and urges us onward, so that we can contemplate the horizon that opens before us. Like the Risen Christ, who precedes us on the road to eternal life, we are called to live a hope that transforms, that gives meaning to our lives and that encourages us never to give up. As Redemptorist missionaries, we are called – in the light of hope – to develop the resilience necessary to face this complex world and its difficulties: strong in faith, joyful in hope and fervent in charity, with a deep apostolic zeal (cf. Const. 20).
  4. As Redemptorist Family, we are Missionaries and Pilgrims of this hope. We are called to announce to the world the good news of the Resurrection, to proclaim by our lives and by our witness – even with our wounded bodies – the power of a hope that never fails, never gives up and is renewed with every dawn. “Absolute hope allows us to act anew in the heart of the deepest despair. It is filled with an unshakable faith that there is meaning. It is precisely faith in the wisdom of having a direction and a stance in the face of negativity”, the Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han reminds us (Contro la società dell’angoscia: speranza e rivoluzione, (Against the Society of Anguish: Hope and Revolution), Einaudi: Torino, 2025, p. 50). As witnesses of the Redeemer, the light of the world, we follow his mission of giving meaning and orientation, helping people to discover the light of redemption that never goes out (cf. Communicanda 1/2024).
  5. In this Easter season, let us renew our trust in the promise of Christ the Redeemer: ‘Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age’ (Mt 28:20). May we, as his followers, always be Messengers of Hope to the world, bearing in our hearts the light that overcame darkness and the love that conquered death.
  6. Happy and blessed Easter to you all! May the Hope of the Risen Christ guide and strengthen us in our mission, together with Mary and our Saints, Blesseds and Martyrs.

In Christ the Redeemer, our Infinite Hope,

Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R
Superior General

Rome, 20th April 2025
Original: Spanish

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR