We proclaim on this day of Easter the victory of life over death because Jesus is indeed raised from the dead to be the Living One forever. God the Father, in His all power, by the action of the Holy Spirit, redeemed His Son Jesus from the power of darkness and death.

The One who in his flesh has been scoffed, humiliated, tortured, nailed to the wood of torture, and put in the ground, that One is risen, as he had said. The tomb is empty. Let us rejoice! Let's be glad! Exult for joy! Let us sing and bless the holy name of God for this wonder.

By his death, Jesus conquered death. O death, where is your victory? Death no longer has the last word. It has become a passage from this world to eternal happiness. The earth could not keep in its bosom the Son of God. Yes, it is God who is Master and Lord of the Universe. He reigns above everything. He has control of all that exists in heaven and on earth. Life has sprung from death. Easter is therefore the party, par excellence. It's the festival of festivals.

Thanks to the resurrection of Christ, we Christians can hope to be resurrected. We firmly believe in it. The resurrection of Christ is first fruits of ours.

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Jesus fought against death that inspires fear and anguish. He came out victorious. We, too, are called to fight with all our strength against the forces of evil, sin, and death. It is incumbent upon us to fight relentlessly against any form of death that lives in us and against the death impulses of all kinds that intrigue us. Being by our side, he will ensure us victory over all because nothing can resist him.

The resurrection of Jesus is good news for us: good news of life being stronger than death, good news of love being stronger than hatred and violence.

Christ is risen. He is alive forever. Following the message that comes to us on this Easter morning. Do not be afraid! Do not be anxious! The Crucified is risen and precedes us!

Let us be illuminated and guided by the light of the Risen Christ. Let us be proclaimers of this good news of life and joy. Let us shout out loudly in every nook and cranny, in our families, in our local communities, that life is more powerful than death, that light will always prevail over darkness, and that, all the time, truth will overcome the lie, the good will be victorious over evil, and love will overcome hate.

Let us live as resurrected men and women by spending all our life on earth doing good as Christ did. Let us love each other. Let us forgive without measure as the Lord has forgiven us. Let us give without expecting anything in return. Let us welcome the marginalized, those who have been abandoned. Let us visit the sick, the prisoners. Let us show compassion to all those who suffer. Let us sacrifice our own lives for those of others.

By showing skill in our vision and courage in our action, let us work for a more just, more humane, more equitable, and more fraternal world.

Illuminated by Christ and led by the Holy Spirit, let us strive to be workers of peace, builders of love, bearers of joy and hope. Let us hope against all hope. Let us show others by our witness of life, by our words and our actions, that there is hope, that there is no place beyond the reach of the Lord. Let us be convinced that God has the last word in all, that the final victory belongs to him and that there is no shame for those who hope in the Lord.

Conducted by the love, kindness, and mercy of God, let us proclaim, wherever we are, our joy and happiness to believe in Jesus Christ the Risen One. Let us be true disciples and missionaries of Christ, authentic witnesses filled with joy and filled with hope of his resurrection.

This reflection for the celebration of Easter was written by Fr. Icemick Jean-Baptiste, C.S.C., who is a member of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Province in Haiti. He currently serves at the College Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours in Cap-Haïtien where is the Director of Pastoral and Director of the Library.