Message at the Conclusion of the GS Easter Triduum

Dear friends,

Reality, along with the heart, is our great ally.
It’s our ally against ourselves when we let our bad moods or our fears dominate us.
Luckily, reality is stubborn, and it is more real than our doubts.
It imposes itself in our days–no matter what mood we are in–without asking permission.
We see it when we feel its attraction that comes when we meet a beloved face.
To deny this evidence, then, would be crazy. To deny it would be to deny ourselves.

Recognizing this evidence is easy. It’s enough to give in to its attraction, like a child in front of a spectacular mountain view. Does it mean being naïve? No, it simply means being simple; being faithful to what we see with our eyes.

Yet, often we feel assaulted by the fear of nothingness. So, what then? Here again, reality is the ally that accompanies us: reality is the greatest testimony against nothingness. It’s there! Perhaps fragile, fleeting and transitory. But it’s there. Without question!

There’s just one hitch: it takes our freedom to acknowledge it. Thanks be to God! Who of us would want to be loved by slaves, or by robots, mechanically? Not I, never!

To help us to acknowledge it, the Mystery became flesh, died and rose again for us. The power of His presence was such that no one was left indifferent.
As Pope Francis told us in St. Peter’s Square, “Andrew, John, Simon: they feel themselves being looked at to their very core, intimately known, and this generates surprise in them, an astonishment which immediately makes them feel bonded to Him...”.

Fr. Giussani reminds us that “the way of the Lord is as simple as that of John and Andrew, of Simon and Philip, who began to follow Christ out of curiosity and desire. In the end, there is no road other than this desirous curiosity inspired by an intuition of what is true.”
Only those who go along with this desirous curiosity can discover the truth.

In the meantime, He is waiting for our recognition. Free. “…and when we arrive, He has already been waiting (Pope Francis).”

Christianity is a road that’s only for men and women who don’t give up their reason or their freedom.

Happy Easter, friends.