The writer reflects on a transformative Holy Week as a bishop, expressing gratitude for the depth of respect seen in the streets and the powerful blessing of Easter celebrations in Elche, marked by a joyful chorus of hallelujahs during the resurrection.
The message emphasizes that Easter is not a mere event in history but a call to lived faith. Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection illuminate a path for personal transformation. Echoing biblical themes, the text invites readers to shed the old self and clothe themselves with the new, aligning with the invitation in Paul’s letters to put off the former life and embrace what is divine (Ephesians 4, 22-24). It also points to Colossians 3, 1-3, where believers are urged to seek heavenly treasures and fix their hearts on Christ, who is present with God.
Those who fear these biblical statements are merely abstract or mystical are shown to be mistaken. The writer focuses on three concrete, practical manifestations of the risen life that Easter makes possible:
1.- Healing of internal wounds: Contemporary life is marked by a rise in emotional scars that often stay beneath the surface, generating disappointment and insecurity. Families have dispersed to new horizons, and welfare systems have left many more fragile and vulnerable to broken trust from friends, relatives, and partners. While popular culture sometimes presents pain in a dramatic light, the reality is that psychological strains are widespread, and current ideologies can fail to heal them. Narcissism often follows from a lack of mature, stable love. The Easter message reframes suffering as a call to love rooted in the cross of life, enabling forgiveness of enemies and deep, selfless love that is not defined by possession or use. The grace of the resurrected One is described as enabling love as if there had never been hurt.
2.- Emancipation from slavery and addictions: When wounds remain unhealed, people may seek quick comfort in pleasurable escapes that can turn into addictions. The text highlights how addictions—ranging from alcohol and drugs to pornography and excessive gaming—offer temporary relief yet corrode genuine happiness. It notes a troubling trend in which pornography affects a large portion of adolescents, referencing broad concerns about sexual exploitation and manipulation behind supposed liberation. The Easter message presents mature love and true freedom as the mastery of one’s will, guided by conscience rather than instant gratification.
Christ’s Easter is portrayed as the source of authentic freedom that enables people to govern their desires while remaining faithful to conscience and personal integrity.
3.- Enlightenment of existence through reason and faith: When Western culture turned away from Christian revelation, faith and reason were challenged. Relativity and secular frameworks have argued against absolute truth, impacting education and the framing of history, philosophy, and civic values. The text argues for the enduring importance of Scriptural Revelation, urging openness to the Gospel as the voice of the risen Christ. It cites Augustine to illustrate the idea that truth, goodness, and beauty surpass relativistic sentiment, and it concludes with a blessing for a Resurrection Day that invites renewed meaning for all.
Through the encounter of the risen Christ with his disciples, believers are reminded of the imperative to seek truth and live by it, embracing a life shaped by scriptural revelation. In this spirit, the text wishes everyone a joyful Resurrection Day that speaks to courage, hope, and transformation for daily life.