Easter 2020. Message from the General Council

Easter 2020

Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? (Mc 16, 3)

We are dealing with a true gentleman, God,
who always keeps his word and fulfils it in eternity (Writings 2624)

Dearly confreres,
May the risen Lord, who conquers death, enlighten our lives and fill our hearts with joy.

This year 2020 we have lived through Lent in a pandemic situation for the coronavirus that is spreading increasingly in almost every country in the world. We will celebrate the Easter of Resurrection again in this pandemic climate.

We too, like so many Christians in many countries of the world, will not be able to come together as a community to celebrate the central mystery of our faith. The social networks are helping us all to come together at least virtually to continue to “live” the life of the community. We are increasingly encouraging to use these means to be close to one another and to God’s people as we celebrate the triumph of life over death.

In this climate of uncertainty and suffering we feel a bit like Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Salome who go to the tomb very early in the morning asking one another: Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? (Mk 16:3). No one is indeed capable of rolling away the stone that locks us in our sepulchres, in our fears and resistances. But, when they looked, they could see that the stone - which was very big -  had already been rolled back (Mk 16:4). Now, the seal of death has been broken from within.

In this time of pandemic, we too are called to “look” and recognize the presence of the Risen Lord in our midst. God walks with us and suffers with us and in Christ Jesus. He invites us to walk with him on the way that, passing through the cross, leads us to the dawn of a new day. God’s last word for humanity is life, the life that he gave us in Christ Jesus, who took upon himself our death and conquered it by emerging victorious from the tomb.

Like our Father and Founder, St. Daniel Comboni, we are certain that God does not withdraw his favour for humanity as a whole and is faithful forever. He sent his Son to give us “life and life to the full” (Jn 10:10).

This Easter lived in an atmosphere of a pandemic strengthens our faith in the God of life, in the certainty that no one can ever separate us from this eternal love. “Who then will separate us from the love of Christ? Perhaps tribulation, anguish, persecution, hunger, nudity, danger or sword? But in all these things we are more than victorious by virtue of him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor present nor future, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any created thing can ever separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35, 37-39).

Happy Easter of Resurrection and a Happy Feast of Life to each of you and to your Christian communities.
The General Council