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Dear Confreres, brothers, sisters and friends,
We are celebrating the Lord's Easter, through which we re-live His triumph over death, evil and the mundane, the latter understood as anti-Christian values, which do not enrich the life of faith and prevent us from having eternal life with the Risen Jesus Christ.
Now more than ever, we need to preach more than with just words, but with our very lives testifying that Jesus is alive! He is close to us and does not abandon us. A testimony of the Risen Jesus Christ that promotes peace, justice and love.
As followers of Jesus, we have a huge mission; think of the thousands of dead, wounded, orphans and widows because of the on-going wars in the world. The Risen Jesus Christ invites us to be promoters of peace, so we must constantly pray and work for peace in the world and in the context where we develop and carry out our daily activities, to be bridges of understanding and collaboration, especially in divisive conflict situations.
Likewise, there are millions of displaced persons, migrants, seafarers, fishers, asylum seekers and refugees who are forced to leave their countries of origin in search of their fundamental rights, such as having a dignified and safe life for themselves and their loved ones, since the corruption and fear in which their governments live does not allow them to obtain those rights. Therefore, the Risen Jesus Christ invites us to see and treat the displaced, migrants, seafarers, fishers, asylum seekers and refugees with justice and respect, welcoming them as very own brothers and sisters since we are all children of the same Father.
Millions of people are hated, judged and rejected because of their faith, skin colour, language, culture and economic situations. The Risen Jesus Christ urges us to love them and not discriminate against them, just as He accepts and loves us regardless of our faith, culture and socioeconomic positions.
The Risen Jesus Christ invites us to live with hope and faith, seeking and setting our hearts on the things of Heaven, as Saint Paul says in Colossians 3:1-2: "seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Aspire to things above, not to the things on earth".
Jesus Christ encourages us to treat with dignity and respect not only our neighbours but also the nature with which we live since all the creation of this world is the very work of God. Therefore, how we live and coexist with our neighbours and the things surrounding us is a compelling testimony and of preaching about God, who is peace, justice and love.
Let us ask the Risen Jesus Christ to open our eyes and increase our faith in Him and in Scriptures, as the Gospel of Saint John 20: 8-9 says: "Then the other disciple also entered, the one who had reached the tomb first; he saw and believed. But, until then, they had not understood that according to Scriptures, Jesus had to rise from the dead." In this way, with a solid faith in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, let us serve our neighbours without conditions, especially the neediest and vulnerable in our family, community and society.
Let us rejoice, praise and glorify Jesus Christ, who, thanks to His sacrifice, death and resurrection, God has opened Heaven for us and, with Him, Eternal Life.
Happy Easter!
Sincerely in the Migrant Christ,
Fr. Martin Ignacio Gutierrez, CS Provincial Superior
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