CELEBRATING THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

EASTER SUNDAY - THE PASSOVER FROM DEATH TO LIFE

Christ in the Seminary Church of Boa Nova, Valadares

It is the risen Christ,

Who, free from the Cross, goes up

As High Priest and King,

With open arms to welcome us,

Indicating the path that leads 

to our heavenly home.

Day by day,

the numbers increase

and the wave spreads,

a dark and overwhelming wave

and with a fearful heart,

we shut ourselves up at home,

made refuge from the storm

that silences our voices.

It was a Friday,

and lifted on a cross,

that good and just man

experienced the darkness,

from twelve to fifteen it covered the land,

as if in mourning,

ashamed of the evil

that has polluted us.

All of humanity was with Him,

bent under the weight of pain

and under the bondage of sin

so disfigured

that lost all human appearance.

“And yet ours were the sufferings he bore,

ours the sorrows he carried.”

“On him lies a punishment that brings us peace,

and through his wounds we are healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

each taking his own way,

and the Lord burdened him

with the sins of all of us.” (Is 53:4-6)

Therefore, contemplating the Crucified,

we feel attracted and touched;

and in Him we find peace.

In Him, the curse becomes a blessing

and we find hope again.

In the face of the Crucified,

we discover the face of God

stained by our pain and anguish.

Sharing our fate,

He becomes a source of hope and life.

Offering “His life in atonement,

he shall see his heirs, 

he shall have a long life

and through him 

what the Lord wishes will be done.” (Is 53:10)

In the silence of this prolonged Sabbath

that we're all going through,

let us approach the buried Lord,

certain that He will rise from the dead,

so that we may sing with Him the hymn of victory.

It's time for us to die for everything

that sows the seeds of evil in us,

greed, envy, hatred, violence,

exploitation and oppression,

to resurrect to a new humanity,

built on love, justice, freedom and peace.

We will rise with Him,

passing from death to life.

So, united and solidary,

in harmony and communion,

we will sing hymns of glory,

as well-beloved children

singing without ceasing 

with the multitudes of angels:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah.

May the Risen Lord bless you,
give you new strength and hope
and renew you with His Spirit.