WE ARE WITNESSES TO THESE FACTS
Beloved brothers and sisters, we greet you with the same words of the Risen Lord:
Peace to you!
It is Paschal time and from Jerusalem to all the world it is announced that “Jesus crucified is risen” (Mt 28:5-6; Mk 16:6; Luke 24:6-7; Acts 2:23-24. 4,10): «And of these facts we are witnesses and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him» (Acts 5, 32).
Like the Apostles of the Lord, the experience of the Passover drives us, because we do not obey an external and imposed command, but rather, the encounter with Jesus, dead and risen. This is engraved in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and we have the strength to say with conviction: «We must obey God instead of men» (Acts 5:29). When trials come we may become discouraged because being witnesses in our contexts is not so easy, but we must be convinced that the Lord supports us and the call of christians to suffering is illuminated by the action of the Spirit. Let us learn to look with the eyes of God the various misunderstandings, slanders, persecutions, envy and to be strong in faith. As Pope Leo XIV said: «It means entrusting our lives to him and letting his Word inspire our way of thinking and living ... consolation for broken hearts and hope for change in society are possible if we rely on God and his Word» (Homily, Bamenda International Airport, April 16, 2026). Everything, obeying God and following Jesus crucified and risen.
Dearest ones, we invite you to meditate in prayer on this truth so that we may become witnesses to it with the strength of the Holy Spirit. From today, together with the entire Mystical Body of Christ, the community of believers, we pray to the Paraclete, protagonist since the first centuries of the Church, to encourage us internally to be witnesses of the Risen Lord and to fill not only Jerusalem, but also our homes, our cities and our countries with the proclamation of his Gospel, since «whoever believes in the Son has eternal life» (Jn 3, 36).
Let’s become witnesses of the Lord! Because in our lives we have met his merciful gaze that encourages us: «I leave you peace, I give you my peace. Let not your heart be troubled, nor be afraid» (Jn 14:27).
Be blessed from the Garden of the Lord.
