Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we approach the end of Lent and the commemoration of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, the Church’s liturgy invites us to contemplate the mystery of the Cross, to acknowledge our sinfulness and, in faith, to unite ourselves with Jesus in his saving passover from death to life.  Holy Thursday, with its celebration of the Chrism Mass and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, evokes gratitude for Christ’s institution of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders, and for his new commandment of love.  Good Friday is centred on the Gospel of the Lord’s Passion and the adoration of his Holy Cross, the source of our salvation.  The somber silence of Holy Saturday is a prelude to the joy of the Easter Vigil, with its proclamation of Christ’s victory over sin and death, the gift of his grace in the sacrament of Baptism and the renewal of our baptismal promises.  These liturgical celebrations are not mere commemorations of past events; they introduce us to the ever-present reality of God’s saving power.  Today too, Christ’s love triumphs over evil, sin and death.  Truly, as Saint Paul says, “if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him” (Rom 6:8). 

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I am pleased to welcome the many university students gathered in Rome for Univ 2007.  May these days of reflection, friendship and prayer inspire in you a deeper love for our Lord and his Church!  To all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Denmark, Australia, Canada and the United States, I offer my prayerful good wishes for a happy and spiritually enriching celebration of Easter.