“I renew my appeal for an Easter truce, a minimal and tangible sign of a desire for peace. It is sad that in these days, which are the holiest and most solemn for all Christians, the deadly roar of weapons is heard rather than the sound of bells announcing the Resurrection and it is sad that weapons are increasingly taking the place of words,” he continued. “Today marks two months since the beginning of this war: Instead of stopping, the war has worsened. May he grant peace, outraged by the barbarity of war,” the pope said. I offer them my warmest wishes: Christ is risen, he is truly risen! May he fill with hope the good expectations of hearts. We celebrated it last Sunday, following the Gregorian calendar. “Today various Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, and several Latin communities, celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar. In comments after his reflections, Pope Francis noted that Sunday marked two months since the start of the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion of the country on Feb. “In this way,' the pope urged, 'we will also become capable of compassion, of approaching the wounds of others without inflexibility and without prejudice.” “And let us promise ourselves, the next time, in our fatigue, to seek Jesus, to return to him, to his forgiveness - he always forgives, always! - to return to those wounds that have healed us,” Pope Francis said. So let us think about the last time - let’s try to remember a little - that, during a difficult moment or a period of crisis, we closed in on ourselves, barricading ourselves in our problems and shutting Jesus out of the house. “Jesus is the Lord of ‘other chances’: He always gives us another one, always. Peter’s Basilica’s main altar Read article Penitential rite held after naked man stands on St. Crises help us to recognize that we are needy: they rekindle the need for God and thus enable us to return to the Lord, to touch his wounds, to experience his love anew as if it were the first time.” Many times, they make us humble because they strip us of the idea that we are fine, that we are better than others. “Crises are not sins, they are part of the journey, we should not fear them.

“The Gospel shows us Thomas’ ‘crisis’ to tell us that we should not fear the crises of life and faith,” Pope Francis continued. Otherwise, what kind of faith would that be? It knows times of comfort, zeal and enthusiasm, but also of weariness, confusion, doubt, and darkness. “No, the adventure of faith, as for Thomas, consists of lights and shadows. When a Christian is like that, something isn’t right,” the pope observed. The Lord is not looking for perfect Christians the Lord is not looking for Christians who never doubt and always flaunt a steadfast faith. “I tell you: I am afraid when I see a Christian, some associations of Christians who believe themselves to be perfect.

Shadows of doubt and fear