Photo: MTI/Róbert Hegedüs
Péter Erdő spoke in the packed cathedral: on the dawn of Easter, it was not faith in the Risen One that prompted the women to go to the tomb of Jesus, but immeasurable love for the dead Christ.
The great event of the resurrection responds to this faithful love with elemental force, because the women do not find the dead Christ in the tomb, but the angel who came to announce eternal life. Christ’s eternal life and our eternal life, said the cardinal.
“Do not be afraid,” says the angel to the women, because there is nothing to fear. Love brought them to Christ’s tomb, and love is stronger than death. There is no fear in love, he added.
Therefore, the “Empty Tomb” holiday is a celebration of joy, courage and love, emphasized Péter Erdő.
The cardinal put it this way: “Our love for Christ obliges us to persevere in our love for Christ and brotherly love for each other despite all apparent failures, all the suffering and trials of the faith community (…)”. Even when it seems that “we are in decline, that faith among people is decreasing, that Christians are facing failures and persecutions all over the world,” he said.
In the framework of the festive liturgy, Péter Erdő baptized adults and conferred them with the sacrament of confirmation, and the present faithful renewed their baptismal vows.
At the end of the ceremony, the faithful led by the cardinal held a procession around the basilica.
The biggest Christian holiday, Easter, begins on Holy Saturday, with the ceremony of the evening vigil. The holiday proclaims that Jesus has risen from the dead and thereby redeemed all people from their sins and invites everyone to eternal life.
2024-03-30 20:10:01