Pope Francis’ Easter message asked worshippers to live for God and not to live for things such as wealth or success.
The Pontiff held the Easter service in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and carved into a candle the number to mark the year 2019.
He also carved in the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega, to signify that God is the beginning and end of all things.
Speaking during the homily, Pope Francis spoke about how Jesus was arisen from the dead and how God takes away even the hardest stones against which our hopes and expectations crash: such as death, sin, and fear.
Pope Francis said:
“There is another stone that often seals the heart shut: the stone of sin. Sin seduces; it promises things easy and quick, prosperity and success, but then leaves behind only solitude and death. Sin is looking for life among the dead, for the meaning of life in things that pass away.”
Pope Francis prayed throughout the Mass for the victims of the bombing of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka.
He finished by wishing everyone around the world a very Happy Easter, the festival that celebrates how Jesus, Our Lord, God and Saviour has risen from death.