Rome, 8 April 2023 – Easter is the most awaited moment for millions of Christians. If the birth of Jesuswith the anticipation of Advent, is the most joyful time and the his death, with the Via Crucis which culminates with the torture on the Cross, the symbolically most painful one, the Easter, or the passage, is the culminating moment of faith: Jesus, in his tomb, he “passes over” death, he rises again and reaches eternal life, which also coincides with the arrival of spring, of the environment which returns to be luxuriant after the winter bare, of the fields which return to bear new fruit.
The liturgical events linked to Easter are therefore experienced by the faithful with an active participation in the churches, but there are millions who follow the official celebrations of the Vatican broadcast worldwide.
Pope Francis celebrates the Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil: timetable and on TV
After via Crucis celebrated last night in Rome at the Colosseumto whom Pope Francis was unable to attend due to the frost wave that reached Italy in this festive period, with the lowering of temperatures, today the Easter vigil. “Sometimes it also happens to us to think that the joy of meeting Jesus belongs to the past, while in the present we know above all sealed tombs: those of our disappointments, our bitterness and our distrust, those of ‘there is no nothing left to do’, ‘things will never change’, ‘better to live for the day’ because ‘there is no certainty about tomorrow'” he continued. We too, if we have been gripped by pain, oppressed by sadness, humiliated by sin, embittered by some failure or haunted by some concern, have experienced the bitter taste of tiredness and have seen joy fade in our hearts. – said Pope Francis in the homily of the Easter Vigil -. Sometimes we have simply felt the fatigue of carrying on with everyday life, tired of risking ourselves in front of the rubber wall of a world where the laws of the smartest and the strongest always seem to prevail. At other times, we have felt helpless and discouraged in the face of the power of evil, the conflicts that tear relationships apart, the logic of calculation and indifference that seem to govern society, the cancer of corruption, the spread of injustice, the icy winds of war”. “Sometimes we may have found ourselves face to face with death, because it has robbed us of the sweet presence of our loved ones or because it has grazed us in sickness or calamity, and we easily fell prey to disillusionment and dried up source of hope. Thus, due to these or other situations, our paths stop in front of tombs and we remain motionless weeping and regretting, alone and powerless to repeat our whys to each other” the Pontiff wanted to underline. Who also invited us to hope: “Today Easter strength invites you to roll away the boulders of disappointment and distrust. Easter comes with the gift of surprising hope. But it is not easy to accept it. Sometimes, we have to admit, this hope has no place in our hearts. Each of us knows our own inner place of resurrection. You have to find your own Galilee again. A Galilee which on the one hand means coming out of the closure of the cenacle to go to the region inhabited by the people, coming out of hiding to open up to the mission, escaping from fear to walk towards the future. On the other hand, it means returning”.
Easter mass: time and on TV
Sunday, April 9, 2023 there will be Easter Mass starting from 10 in St. Peter’s Square. It will be presided over by Pope Francis, barring last-minute changes. The celebration will be broadcast in live tv on Rai1 and will be managed by Tg1, which will take care of both the direction and the commentary. It will also be possible to follow the celebration on Tv2000 and on Radio inBlu2000.
The Urbi et orbi blessing: time and on TV
From the Central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilicaat the end of the Easter Mass, Pope Bergoglio will impart the blessing ‘Urbi et orbi’, a Latin expression which means “To the city (of Rome) and to the world“. The Urbi et Orbi blessing is also there first blessing given by a Pope, after his election to the Conclave. It is also traditionally given by the Pope on Christmas and Easter days to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square or on special occasions, such as the Jubilee: the next one will be in Rome in 2025.
The blessing will take place at 12 on Sunday 9 April and will always be broadcast in diretta tv su Rai1 e Tv2000.
In the end, Monday 10 at 12 the performance of the ‘Regina Coeli’ is scheduled, moment of prayer dedicated to the Madonna, who carried Jesus in her womb and gave him life.