Tagle: Christ’s resurrection a message of hope to faithful

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Jesus has risen. And with His resurrection comes hope, along with a warning.

In his homily during the Easter Vigil at Manila Cathedral on Saturday, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, told Catholics to open their eyes to the works of God and urged them to become bearer of the good news.

Tagle said Jesus’ death was the work of human beings and institutions that failed to see the action of God. But Jesus’ resurrection, he said, was the work of God.

And because the resurrection was the work of God, the Gospel could talk of it only symbolically, Tagle said.

According to Matthew’s Gospel: “Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake. The Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, rolled away the stone from the entrance of the tomb, and sat on it. His face was like lightning and His garment white as snow.”

Tagle said: “The resurrection is pure divine grace and it reverses the evil done by human beings. That’s why the resurrection is also a warning to the unjust, to those who trample on the rights of the innocent, those who lie, those who sell and betray friends. You think you’ve succeeded but God will reverse what you have done.”

To the faithful, he said: “The Lord has risen. Have no fear. You might be weeping now. You might be suffering now. But God will raise you up. God will vindicate you. God will reverse your suffering into joy.”

In this Year of the Laity, Tagle said: “Let all the baptized show to the world that our lives are really a sharing in the resurrected life of Jesus. We do not exist for evil. We exist for God. Therefore, we are for the good, for the truth, for life, for justice, for love. Not for evil.”

Tagle said he did not have to look far to see that God works on people. He said that as his teacher told him when he came for a visit, “Chito, you used to sleep in my class. But look at you, you are now a cardinal.”

“Dead to sin. Alive to God,” Tagle said. “In baptism, we have died with Christ. In Christ, we have died to sin. The resurrection is life in God. We now live to God and for God.”

“We were all dead because of our own doing. But how come we can think good thoughts. We can cry with the suffering. We can rejoice with those we do not know. We can dream not only for ourselves but also for others. God is alive and if he raised Jesus from the dead, He continues to raise us. This is pure grace,” Tagle said.

“Encountering the Risen Lord makes us bearers of good news. Nobody keeps good news to himself. If you have seen the Lord, tell the world he has risen,” he said.

“Let us start again. There is hope,” Tagle said.

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