VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Monday exhorted the Christian faithful to spread the joy of Easter to others.
“Happy Easter!” he said. “Christ is risen! He is truly risen.”
The Pope addressed thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Regina Coeli on April 21.
“Let the joyous wonder of Easter Sunday radiate through our thoughts, looks, attitudes, gestures and words,” he said, according to Vatican Radio.
Those who help radiate the joy of the Resurrection can bring the “light” of the risen Lord to others by spreading happiness, by helping those in pain and by bringing “serenity and hope,” the Pope explained.
This radiating wonder must come “from within us,” from a heart that is “immersed in the source of this joy,” he said.
Pope Francis emphasized the joy and wonder of the Resurrection accounts in the Gospels.
He noted the example of Mary Magdalene, who “wept for the loss of her Lord and could not believe her eyes seeing him risen.”
The Pope encouraged the congregation to let the experience of the Resurrection “be imprinted in our hearts and in our lives.”
He said that the Virgin Mary’s experience of the death and resurrection of her Son made her heart a source of peace, comfort and mercy.
Mary is “the Mother full of hope, the Mother of all the disciples, the Mother of the Church,” he said.
After concluding his remarks, the Pope led the faithful in the Regina Coeli. He then wished them a very happy and holy Easter.