Dear sisters and young women in formation,
“It was still dark,” says John in his Gospel (Jn. 20:1), when Mary of Magdala left her home and in the darkness of a seemingly endless night hastened alone to the tomb of Jesus. She ran to her destination, undeterred by the thought that the tomb was sealed by a boulder that was certainly too heavy for her to remove. Nevertheless she raced ahead, heedless of the risk that prevented the disciples of Jesus from leaving their own homes. Mary’s fast pace was a forerunner of the pace Peter and John would later use. But her steps came to an abrupt halt when she was confronted with the mystery of an empty tomb.
The Gospel narratives do not describe the resurrection event. No one saw Jesus emerge triumphantly from the tomb–an image very present in the apocryphal texts and cherished by Christian iconographic tradition. There were no banners of victory, no angels blowing trumpets, no frightened witnesses. The account is filled with footsteps, running, and a faith that blossoms in spite of very scarce signs of resurrection. It is the story of a night that finally gives way to light. As John reminds us, this “first day of the week” was born in the silence of a new creation in which God repeats, for all eternity, his command: “Let there be light!” (Gn. 1:3) And, after the night, comes Easter morning!
In these days of distress, in this time marked by unjust and senseless wars, we are asked to believe and bear witness, through the daily exercise of our communal and apostolic life, to the fact that love is stronger than death, that morning dawns anew every day and brings with it unexpected resurrections through which the Spirit transforms the pains of humanity into “labor pains” (Rm. 8:22) that bring forth a more beautiful, more genuine, more just world.
Let us, then, be “gospels” of communion and peace, communicators of the gift of hope that our Risen Lord bestows on us. I extend my best wishes to you also on behalf of the sisters of the general government. Please convey my greetings to your families, your collaborators, and all the members of the Pauline Family.
Together, let us entrust to the Spirit of the Risen Christ the General Chapter of the Apostoline Sisters, which will be held at Ariccia from 7-20 April 2024.
May every day be for us “a day of resurrection!” (Fr. Alberione)
Affectionately,
Sr. Anna Caiazza
and the Sisters of the General Government
