(2017.02.10) PASQUA 2017 - FOGLIETTO

The glorious Easter message offers us the comforting assurance that the abyss of death has been bridged and, with it, all mourning, lamentation and pain (cf. Rev 21:4). Pope Francis reminds us that, “Before the spiritual and moral abysses of mankind, before the chasms that open up in hearts and provoke hatred and death, only an infinite mercy can bring us salvation. Only God can fill those chasms with his love, prevent us from falling into them and help us to continue our journey together towards the land of freedom and life. The Lord, who suffered abandonment by his disciples, the burden of an unjust condemnation and shame of an ignominious death, now makes us sharers of his immortal life and enables us to see with his eyes of love and compassion those who hunger and thirst, strangers and prisoners, the marginalized and the outcast, the victims of oppression and violence.” The image of the Resurrection that appears on the stamp and souvenir sheet is taken from a Flemish tapestry found in the Gallery of Tapestries at the Vatican Museums, a work by Pieter van Aelst following a design of the Raphael school. At the center of the scene, the Risen Christ leaves the tomb with his left hand holding a flag with a red cross on a white background, a symbol of the resurrection. Represented in the foreground are the soldiers on guard at the tomb, who, suddenly awaked from their sleep, look incredulous and terrified after witnessing the miraculous event.