Easter Message of Cardinal Ladislav Nemet SVD

Today, just a few days before the end of Lent, we might say that we are tired, that we have lost hope in the possibility of change, in a better future, in greater security — both in our personal and communal life. Outside it is dark; night and shadow rule our streets, our nations, our continents. In recent years, we have succeeded in destroying peace in the world; we have provoked wars between nations and brought violence into our own streets. We rightly ask: where is this world heading? Where is our society going? Does God not look upon us at this very moment to change our hearts? We find ourselves in darkness, as if buried in unreal graves.

But God does not remain indifferent. He does not rebuke, nor does He punish us with special severity; rather, He gives us a promise: “I will open your graves and bring you up from them… I will put my breath in you, and you shall live.” In light of these words of Scripture, we can say with confidence that Lent and Holy Week — which we complete on Easter Day — have been a time of renewal, when we have allowed God’s Spirit to enter the lifeless realities of our present: our weary service and monotonous work that seems meaningless, our weakened prayer, our broken or destroyed relationships, and the dark streets and cities of our world.

Today, with repentance in our hearts, we confess: “Lord, I live in the tomb — yet You want to bring me out.” Come, lead me out!

The reading from the prophet Ezekiel helps us understand this: Easter enables us to distinguish between a life with a heart of stone and one filled with God’s Spirit. The prophet says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and move you to follow my decrees.”

A “life with a heart of stone” means that I am always at the center — my comfort, my truth, my interests. My power, my nation first, at any cost, even at the price of thousands upon thousands of deaths — most often of children, women, and the elderly. Human dignity and the desire of the majority to live in peace are set aside for the sake of personal gain or will.

A “life according to the Spirit” begins when Christ finds space within me — when His Gospel, His gentleness, and His mercy shape my decisions, attitudes, and values.

Saint Paul says: “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.”

The story of Easter is the drama of every human life: illness, death, sorrow, misunderstanding — and, in the midst of all this, the struggle of faith in Jesus.

At the tomb, the women see that the stone has been rolled away — one of the great symbols of Easter. The stone is gone, the body of Jesus is no longer there: He is free. Sin and death no longer hold power over Him.

And what is the stone that closes our hearts? Indifference? Repressed anger? Lingering bitterness? A sin we tightly cling to? An unbounded thirst for power or money?

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us do everything possible not to become obstacles or stumbling blocks to one another, but brothers and sisters who help roll away the stone of death from each other’s lives — through encouragement, patience, and merciful hearts.

Let this Easter be a time of forgiveness: perhaps the Lord is calling you right now to free someone from a tomb of darkness and evil.

Let Easter also be a time to strive for peace. For peace does not come by itself. Peace must be built; it requires commitment and struggle.

And how should we struggle for peace? Jesus shows us the way: He presents Himself as the King of Peace, even while war gathers around Him. He remains calm while others are seized by the frenzy of violence. He is gentleness and restraint incarnate, while others take up swords and clubs. He is good, even as darkness prepares to cover the earth and the plan for His death is set in motion.

As the King of Peace, Jesus wishes to reconcile the world in the embrace of the Father and to break down every wall that separates us from God and from one another, for “He is our peace.”

Easter is not an event of the distant future, for in every Holy Mass we relive what Ezekiel foretold and Paul confirmed: the Holy Spirit gives life to what was dead.

At the moment of consecration, the Spirit descends upon the bread and wine — and upon us — to make us living members of Christ’s Body.

When we receive Holy Communion, even now, in advance, we experience Easter: we already receive the life stronger than death; we are already touched by the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.

Thus, every Holy Mass becomes an experience of Easter — not only in our liturgical calendar but in the depths of our hearts. Let us draw near to Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Christ our Lord.

A blessed and happy Easter to all of you!

Amen.