Saint John Paul II in his encyclical Redemptor hominis emphasizes: "The Church does not wield any weapons other than those of the spirit, of the word, and of love; therefore, it pleads with every side and asks everyone: Do not kill!" This is the call that Easter brings us. He also says: do not become strategists of violence, but servants of love in faith in the Risen One, who is our certainty in the midst of the helplessness of goodness – in the faith that love represents the true and definitive strength of the world.
The disciples of Jesus slept on the Mount of Olives. But we sleep in the midst of Easter and overlook what is essential. At this hour, we should let our hearts be touched by the greatness of the message, so that we too may become bearers of light, before it is too late, before death reaps its cruel harvest. That we ourselves, touched by the joy of this day, may become evangelists, messengers of the joy of Jesus Christ.
(Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Easter meditation, 1984)
