Peter, the Pope said, "was not consumed by remorse, fear or the continuous gossip that leads nowhere."
"He was looking for Jesus, not himself. He preferred the path of encounter and trust. And so, he got up, just as he was, and ran towards the tomb from where he would return amazed."
This, Francis observed, "marked the beginning of Peter's resurrection, the resurrection of his heart." Without giving in to sadness or darkness, Peter "made room for hope: he allowed the light of God to enter into his heart, without smothering it."
Like Peter, the women also had the same experience of awe when they went to Jesus' tomb with oil and met the angel, who told them that the Lord had risen, Francis said, adding that like them, we can't allow ourselves to be overcome by a lack of hope.
Pope Francis stressed that there will always be problems "both within and without," which won't go away. What's important, he said, is to place them in the light of the Risen Lord, "and in a certain sense, to evangelize them."
The resurrection of the Lord is "the foundation of our hope," he said, clarifying that this hope is neither "mere optimism, nor a psychological attitude or desire to be courageous."
Rather, he said, Christian hope "is a gift that God gives us if we come out of ourselves and open our hearts to him."
Hope will never disappoint us because we have been given the Holy Spirit, the Pope said, noting that the Spirit doesn't seek to make things look appealing or "remove evil with a magic wand."
The Holy Spirit, he said, "pours into us the vitality of life, which is not the absence of problems, but the certainty of being loved and always forgiven by Christ, who for us has conquered sin, death and fear."
Pope Francis emphasized that each person, after having met Jesus, is then sent out by him to proclaim the Easter message, and "to awaken and resurrect hope in hearts burdened by sadness, in those who struggle to find meaning in life."
However, he cautioned that we shouldn't proclaim ourselves, but must rather be "joyful servants of hope" who announce the Risen Lord through our lives and the ways in which we love.
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"Otherwise we will be only an international organization full of followers and good rules, yet incapable of offering the hope for which the world longs," he said.
Francis concluded his homily by telling attendees that their hope can be strengthened by following the angel's advice to the women in the Gospel: "Remember what [Jesus] told you." He urged them to always remember Jesus' words and deeds, "otherwise we will lose hope."
He urged everyone to "open our hearts to hope and go forth," praying that the constant memory of Jesus' works and words would be "the bright star which directs our steps in the ways of faith toward the Easter that will have no end."
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.