Easter is a time of triumph – of celebrating Christ’s victory over sin and death. Out of the great sorrow of the Cross comes the joyous miracle of the Resurrection: Our Savior lives, and He offers us a glorious eternal hope.
As we rejoice in the Risen King, we invite you to reflect on these seven pope quotes about the meaning of Easter and the hope we have in Christ.
The Hope of the Resurrection
“The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope… Thanks to Christ — crucified and risen from the dead — hope does not disappoint!” – Pope Francis
“The Easter proclamation spreads throughout the world with the joyful song of the Alleluia. Let us sing it with our lips, and let us sing it above all with our hearts and our lives… The Risen One goes before us and he accompanies us along the paths of the world. He is our hope, He is the true peace of the world. Amen!” – Pope Benedict XVI
Easter and Our Redemption
“All who seek the Son of man will see him in the Feast of Easter as a true Lamb, sacrificed for the world’s salvation.
On the Cross, Jesus died for each one of us. The Cross, therefore, is the greatest and most eloquent sign of his merciful love, the one sign of salvation for every generation and for all humanity.” – Pope John Paul II
The Triumph of Easter
“At Easter this Good News rings out unchanged and ever new in every corner of the earth: Jesus who died on the Cross is risen, he lives in glory because he has defeated the power of death, he has brought the human being to a new communion of life with God and in God. This is the victory of Easter, our salvation!” – Pope Benedict XVI
“There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already born for us, and does not now bear with us.” – Pope John Paul II
The Resurrection Is at the Heart of Christianity
“Christ’s resurrection is the strength, the secret of Christianity. It is not a question of mythology or of mere symbolism, but of a concrete event. It is confirmed by sure and convincing proofs. The acceptance of this truth, although the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s grace, rests at the same time on a solid historical base. On the threshold of the third millennium, the new effort of evangelization can begin only from a renewed experience of this Mystery, accepted in faith and witnessed to in life.” – Pope John Paul II
“On this night of Resurrection everything begins anew; creation regains its authentic meaning in the plan of salvation. It is like a new beginning of history and of the cosmos, because Christ is risen, ‘the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (1 Cor 15:20). Christ, the ‘last Adam,’ has become ‘a life-giving spirit’ (1 Cor 15:45).” – Pope John Paul II