By Kielce Gussie
At his Wednesday General Audience in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Resurrection of Christ as “an event that one never finishes contemplating and meditating on”. He argued that the more one explores it, the more one is drawn into an “overwhelming yet fascinating light.”
Jesus’ Resurrection, the Pope continued, can heal one of the challenges of today’s world: sadness. “Intrusive and widespread, sadness accompanies the days of many people”, he pointed out, describing it as a feeling of precariousness which infiltrates one’s innermost being and seems to halt joy.
Sadness is a thief
“Sadness robs life of meaning and vigour,” Pope Leo explained, “turning it into a directionless and meaningless journey.”
This very modern experience can also be seen in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in the Gospel of Luke, who find themselves disheartened by Jesus’ death. The Pope argued this story gives us an example of human sadness: “the end of the objective to which so much energy has been invested, the destruction of what seemed to be the essence of their lives.”
When all seems lost to the two men, Jesus appeared as a stranger to them. The Gospel described them as standing still, “looking sad”. Pope Leo pointed out that the Greek adjective used illustrates an all-encompassing sadness and it was obvious on their faces.
Hope is real and tangible
Jesus’ words to the disciples call out the “foolishness” of their hearts. Rather than drive them further into sadness, his frankness rekindled a sense of hope in them. The culmination of the story was at the breaking of the bread, which reopened the “eyes of the heart, illuminating once again the vision clouded by despair.”
That moment reignited joy within the disciples and encouraged them to share their experience with others.
Christians use the Easter greeting, “The Lord has risen indeed”, which is no coincidence. Pope Leo highlighted that Jesus did not only rise in words, but in action, as his body shows with the marks of the crucifixion. “The victory of life is not an empty word, but a real, tangible fact.”
The Pope expressed his hope that the disciples’ joy on the road to Emmaus might be a reminder to us all when we live hard times. Jesus, the Risen One, drastically changes our perspective, giving us hope that can disperse sadness.
Looking to the Resurrection helps change a person’s outlook on the world and realize the Truth saved and continues to save us. “History still has much goodness to hope for.” – Vatican News
