Easter or the consolation of the Risen One

Have you noticed how the biblical texts we hear at Easter are texts of consolation?

During the days of the octave, that is, the liturgical week following the solemnity of Easter, the Word of God opens us to the presence of the Risen Jesus.

And each time, he surprises his interlocutors who are suffering from sadness and mourning by bringing them peace and consolation: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:10, Easter Vigil and Easter Monday); “Why are you weeping” (Jn 20:13, Tuesday); “Were not our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? “(Lk 24:32, Wednesday); “Why are you troubled?” (Lk 24:38, Thursday); “It is the Lord” (Jn 21:7, Friday); “[Mary Magdalene] went to tell the news to those who had lived with him and were grieving and weeping” (Mk 16:10, Saturday).

Above all, according to the Jewish tradition of greeting, Jesus pronounces the word of blessing at every encounter: Shalom! translated as “peace be with you” (2nd Sunday of Easter, Jn 20:19). All his words show that Christ, by his victory over death on Easter morning, came to bring a peace and consolation that no one can take away from us. Yes, he is truly our “definitive peace” (Eucharistic Prayer 1 for Reconciliation).

At the Oratory, this peace and consolation of the Risen One is manifested in the secret of our hearts.

Every day, men and women, young and old, curious visitors and seasoned pilgrims, realize that something unusual is happening at the top of this hill: they taste peace, find consolation, and leave strengthened.

Saint Brother André understood the grace of this place entrusted to Saint Joseph: “Rarely have I found anyone who has come to the Oratory without leaving better, more comforted, or without having received some favor.

Let there be no doubt, the consolation we receive on this high point of Montreal has its source in the early morning of a spring in Jerusalem, when our Lord and Friend rose from the dead to lead us to a new life, a life that will have no end.

Happy Easter to each and everyone!