Pope Francis' Regina Coeli Address: Easter Monday (FULL TEXT: English)

'Lord, give me faith, give me hope! Need it so much!'

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

In this Monday after Easter, called "Easter Monday" our hearts are still filled with the joy of Easter. After the Lenten season of penitence and conversion time, the Church has lived with particular intensity in this Holy Year of Mercy; after the striking of the Holy Triduum celebrations; we stand today before the empty tomb of Jesus, and meditate with wonder and gratitude the great mystery of the Resurrection of the Lord.

Life has conquered death. Mercy and love won over sin! There is need for faith and hope to open this wonderful new horizon. And we know that faith and hope are a gift from God, and we have to ask: "Lord, give me faith, give me hope! Need it so much! ". Let us pervaded by emotions that resonate in the Easter sequence: "Yes, we are certain: Christ is truly risen." The Lord has risen among us! This truth marked indelibly the lives of the apostles after the Resurrection, warned again the need to follow their Master and received the Holy Spirit, went fearlessly to proclaim to everyone what they had seen with their own eyes and personally experienced .

In this Jubilee Year we are called to rediscover and to welcome with particular intensity the comforting announcement of the resurrection: "Christ, my hope, is risen." If Christ is risen, we can look with new eyes and hearts at every event of our lives, even to the most negative. The moments of darkness, bankruptcy and even sin can transform and announce a new journey. When we reached the bottom of our misery and our weakness, the risen Christ gives us the strength to get up. If we rely on Him, His grace saves us! The crucified and risen Lord is the full revelation of mercy, present and active in history. This is the Easter message that still resonates today and that will resonate throughout the time of Easter until Pentecost.

Silent witness to the events of the passion and resurrection of Jesus was Mary. She was standing next to the cross: it is not folded in front of the pain, but his faith has made her stronger. In his heart broken mother has always been on the flame of hope. We ask her to help us also to fully accept the Easter proclamation of the resurrection, to embody it in the reality of our daily lives.

The Virgin Mary give us the certainty of faith that suffered every step of our journey, illuminated by the light of Easter, will become a blessing and joy for us and for others, especially for those who suffer because of selfishness and indifference.

Let us invoke her, therefore, with faith and devotion, with the Regina Caeli, the prayer that replaces the ' Angelus throughout the Easter season.

After the Regina Caeli:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday, in central Pakistan, Easter was bloodied by an execrable attack, which made the massacre of so many innocent people, mostly families of the Christian minority - especially women and children - gathered in a public park to enjoy the joy Easter holidays. I wish to express my closeness to all those affected by this cowardly and senseless crime, and invite you to pray the Lord for the many victims and their loved ones. I appeal to the civil authorities and all the social components of that nation, they do everything possible to restore security and tranquility to the population and, in particular, the most vulnerable religious minorities. I repeat once again that violence and murderous hatred only lead to pain and destruction; respect and fraternity are the only way to achieve peace. The Passover of the Lord inspire in us, so even stronger, prayer to God so that they stop the hands of the violent, who sow terror and death, and the world can reign love, justice and reconciliation. Let us all pray for the dead in this attack, for family members, for the Christian and ethnic minorities of that Nation: Hail Mary, ...

In continuing Easter spirit, I cordially greet all of you, pilgrims who have come from Italy and around the world to participate in this moment of prayer. And always remember that beautiful expression of the Liturgy: "Christ, my hope, is risen!". The we say three times all together. Christ, my hope, is risen!

I hope that each of spending in the joy and peace of mind this week that extends the joy of the Resurrection of Christ. To live more intensely this time it will do well to read every day a passage from the Gospel, which speaks of the event of the Resurrection. Five minutes, no more, you can read a passage from the Gospel. Remember this!

Happy and Holy Easter! Please. do not forget to pray for me. Good lunch and goodbye!

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