LOVE AND hope are the essence of Easter Sunday, clergy reminded Catholics on the day that marks the resurrection of Christ and the end of the Holy Week triduum.
During the Easter Vigil Mass, Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P., prior of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas, said love always has the final say over difficulties in life.
“It (resurrection) is a powerful message that speaks to our lives tonight, that light overcomes darkness, and love proves stronger than fear,” he said in his homily at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church on April 19.
“Let us keep showing up with courage, even when it is hard. And let us always remember that love always has the final word.”
Aligan said Christ’s resurrection is an invitation to the faithful to be pilgrims of hope.
“The Easter story calls us to live differently, to be pilgrims of hope, to live with mercy, to listen deeply, and to lift each other up…Let us hold on to what really matters. Let us be people of hope to our families, communities, and to our country,” he said.
Manila Cathedral Vice Rector Fr. Vicente Bautista, on Easter Sunday Mass, likewise said that like Christ, Catholics can always rise from their lowest moments in life through hope.
“[May mga] panahon na nadapa tayo, panahon na tayo ay napahiya, panahon na tila tayo ay nawalan na ng hiya dahil ang dami nating kasamaan, madami tayong naging kapalpakan sa buhay na ito,” Bautista said in his homily on Sunday, April 20, at the Manila Cathedral.
“These stories of rising and resurrecting are but pure witnesses of what we celebrate this (Jubilee Year). Hope. Pag-asa,” he said.
Hope, Bautista said, is a gift that Christ brought when he rose from the dead.
“May pag-asa kaya may pagbangon at pagkabuhay na magmuli. There is hope, and that is why we can rise and resurrect,” he said.
“This is a very special day for you and for all of us because this man who rose from the dead wishes to give this special message to all of us.”
