OMELIE / Omelie EN

01 apr 2021

1-3/04/2021 – PASCHAL TRIDUUM - year B

1-3/04/2021 – PASCHAL TRIDUUM - year B

Holy Thursday EX 12,1-8.11-14 1COR 11,23-26 JN 13,1-15

Holy Friday IS 52,13 - 53,12 HEB 4,14-16; 5,7-9 JN 18,1 - 19,42

Holy Saturday - - -

The liturgy of the Paschal Triduum is very rich in inspirations for meditation and advice to convert.

Thursday we welcome from Jesus the new commandment, of which He Himself gives us a clear example by washing the disciples' feet. Really today we have under our nose this act of love, so we can in this way understand which one needs to be the fruit of the Eucharistic communion and of the priestly ministry. These mysteries have been established today, and we can enjoy them every day, and thanks to them our life is at peace. They have been given us by the Lord so we can live His commandment: love one another as I have loved you!

His love, symbolised by the washing of the feet, we contemplate in all its perfection on Friday, when we will accompany Jesus in His passion, we will hear again its announcement and again we will be in amazement and suffering together with the Mother and the disciple He loved. And as they have accepted to begin a new life, thanks to the word that was addressed to them by Jesus on the cross, so we will resolve too to pay attention to His word in order to get the one that can transform our days!

Jesus' body will be put to rest with ointments in the room where He will silently wait for His own people’s arrival, who will show Him their love. On Saturday, we will live too that silence, waiting for God’s surprise, Jesus who is risen is the surprise for the whole world! Who knows which surprise the Lord will prepare for me, my family, my community! For sure something I am not expecting, nay, something I have given up on by now, this is what the Father is able to let me find, I who love Jesus!

If I have not done it in the past few days, today I will try to find time to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, confessing my sins to a priest. If I can I will also try to spend in the morning one hour of silent adoration in church, Jesus is worthy of me preparing to live in joy His victory over death, the ultimate enemy of men!

During the solemn Vigil is already Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. Many symbols are preparing us and many readings are feeding us. The blessing of the fire, the preparation of the candle and its lighting up, lighting up the small candles in the faithful’s hand, the songs which invite the angels, the whole world and the whole Church to rejoice. Looking at the different events celebrated in this night, we exalt the Father’s love: “to ransom a slave you gave away your Son”. Then we listen to the readings: there are seven from the Old Testament (often though we read only three or four): they help us to relive the history of salvation from the creation of the world to the awaiting of the Saviour announced by the prophets. Saint Paul makes us think again over our baptism (Romans 6,3-11), in which we are born anew in order to take part in the resurrection of Jesus, which we hear in the Gospel according to Mark (16,1-8). The women are left dumbstruck when they find the empty tomb and they are scared of seeing the angel who is announcing the resurrection of Jesus, the crucifix. They obey him, and they go to tell what has happened to the Twelve. I wonder if I will be able to welcome myself the news that death does not hold Jesus in its hands anymore, and with Him neither my life. I give myself to Him, I unite myself to His body which is the Church, so I will not get lost again in the fears which upset men. With the whole Church I start again singing the hallelujah of joy and hope. And with all my brothers I renew the promises of the baptism by renouncing Satan and all his attempts to take away faith and communion from me. I say out loud my “I believe” in God’s fatherhood, in Jesus’ lordship, in the Holy Spirit’s novelty, who unite the Church by making the believers holy.

Renewed and consoled I will go back to that world which is waiting for my testimony of the resurrection of the Lord, and I will live every situation with the joy that this night has awaken in me. I will not feel different from those catechumens that in every part of the world this night are baptised, and for the first time they experience the beauty and the greatness of being children of God, of being part of His Church, of being immersed in the love of the Trinity of the highest God.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!