In the Gospel we have a characteristic passage, written when Jesus was dead on the cross and buried. It is the song of the disciples of Emmaus. Jesus died, was buried and the apostles, the disciples thought: it’s over! Here are the disciples of Emmaus, who are returning home and leaving Jerusalem, said: Jesus was a great man of God, He announced the Kingdom of God well, He loved us all, the people, He helped the sick, He consoled everyone, He healed… We thought He was the Messiah. But He’s dead, He’s buried, it’s over! Peter also had the same thought when he said to the other apostles: let’s go fishing. Fish as before, before the encounter with Jesus. Because Jesus is dead, He is buried, it’s over!
Two events completely changed the life of the apostles and the Church: the resurrection of Jesus – Jesus is alive. It was the Easter cry: Jesus is alive, He is alive, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The two events together formed the Church. The two events together gave life, vitality, creativity, strength to the whole Church, to the apostles. He is alive, He is alive forever. In the Gospel according to John, He, the living Jesus, appears to the apostles, tells them that profound word, which is specific to this holy place Medjugorje: peace be with you! Jesus is alive, alive forever, God gives peace. At the same time, he breathed on the apostles and said to them: receive, receive the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Spirit and the living Jesus, the apostles reviewed the life of Jesus with them, they reviewed Jesus within the whole history of the Old Covenant and the Old Testament, they saw the cross of Jesus and the Gospel of John as the glory of God The glory of God means His living and true presence. They understood the value of the cross, where Jesus nailed all our sins and by dying made them die. In the Holy Spirit they understood the value of the Eucharist, of the Last Supper. They understood the true, living, real presence of the Lord, in his Word and in the Eucharist. They are relived. In the Acts of the Apostles we have another great presentation of the coming of the Holy Spirit. They understood that it is in the Holy Spirit that the Church was born. And with them there was Mary, Mother of Jesus. From there they set out to announce the Gospel to the whole world. They, poor, illiterate, without any value, with the living Jesus, the Risen One, and in the Holy Spirit, went into the whole world. And in twenty, thirty years, the life of the living Lord, the life of the Holy Spirit has been spread in many parts of the world.
Here is the Easter of the Lord, here is the Easter of the apostles, here is the Easter of the Church, here is our Easter, here is my Easter. He, the Lord is alive! And in the Holy Spirit I too am alive in Him and He in me. He, the Lord Jesus is alive and by giving me the Holy Spirit, he has made my life strong, creative, strong-willed and full of joy and peace. So be it to you who listen to me! Jesus is alive! In the Holy Spirit, in Him you can lead a life full of vitality, creativity and great good for the whole world. In the Holy Spirit I say to you: Happy Easter, Happy Easter in the Lord Jesus, the living one!
