Faith in Christ's constant presence revolutionizes lives, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The ongoing presence of the risen Christ fills life with meaning and proves that the human yearning for eternity is not only justified but is within reach, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Christ's resurrection is not an idea, a theory, but the event that is the foundation of faith," the pope said Nov. 5 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

To believe truly in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he said, "means revolutionizing our lives, being transformed in order to transform the world with the gentle and courageous power of Christian hope."

In his ongoing series of audience talks on the Jubilee theme, "Jesus Christ our Hope," Pope Leo reflected on the presence of the risen Christ in everyday circumstances as an "unfailing source of hope in our daily lives."

"The Paschal proclamation is the most beautiful, joyful and overwhelming news that has ever resounded in all of history," he said. "It is the quintessential 'Gospel,' which attests to the victory of love over sin and of life over death, and this is why it is the only thing capable of satisfying the demand for meaning that troubles our minds and our hearts."

"Human beings are inspired by an inner movement, striving toward a beyond that continually attracts them. No contingent reality satisfies us. We tend toward the infinite and the eternal," he said.

From Easter morning and for all time, "Jesus will also have this title: the Living One," Pope Leo said.

"In Him, we have the assurance of always being able to find the lodestar towards which we can direct our seemingly chaotic lives, marked by events that often appear confusing, unacceptable, incomprehensible: evil in its many forms, suffering, death, events that affect each and every one of us," he said. "Meditating on the mystery of the Resurrection, we find an answer to our thirst for meaning."

"Faced with our fragile humanity, the Paschal proclamation becomes care and healing, nourishing hope in the face of the frightening challenges that life presents us with every day on a personal and global level," he said.

"Easter does not eliminate the cross, but defeats it in the miraculous duel that changed our human history," he said. "Even our time, marked by so many crosses, invokes the dawn of Paschal hope," which does not disappoint.

"Jesus, who is now 'alive forever and ever,' promises to be with us always," Pope Leo said in English. "His presence fills our lives with meaning, and we discover that our yearning for eternity is not only justified, but is now within our reach."

"Let us ask the risen Lord to help us to recognize his presence in every circumstance, and so experience the victory of Easter in our daily lives," he said.

Greeting the different language groups attending the general audience, Pope Leo also reminded the faithful that "we pray in particular for the eternal repose of the faithful departed" during the month of November.

"May the risen Lord show them his mercy, and may the hope brought by our faith in the Resurrection keep our eyes and our hearts turned toward the joy of Heaven," he said in English.