Vatican City, Apr 13, 2004 / 22:00 pm
During his first General Audience of this Easter Season, Pope John Paul II said before some 25,000 pilgrims that Christians need a personal encounter with the crucified and risen Christ.
“‘The Lord of Life was dead, but now He lives and triumphs!’ These words guide the reflections of our encounter today, which takes place within the octave of Easter,” the Pope wrote in his catechesis, which was read by an assistant and not by the Pope himself.
“Christ triumphs over evil and death,” said the text. “The Gospels tell us, with richness of detail, of the Risen Lord’s encounters with the women who ran to the tomb and, afterwards, with the Apostles.”
“As eyewitnesses they are the first to proclaim the Gospel of His death and Resurrection. … The Church, who is the deposit of this universal mystery of salvation, passes this on from generation to generation, to the men and women of all times and all places,” the Pope’s message continued.