Holy Week and more specifically the Easter Triduum this year were marked within a very special, dynamic, enriched and overflowing with grace and mercy. This is a year in which forgiveness and/or indulgences are proclaimed, not from the logic of the “market” or “religious commerce,” but as the proclamation of God’s generosity and compassion, given without reserve.
The God who is able to forgive everything, or, as we might colloquially say, the God who is able to “wipe the slate clean,” is the God we celebrate at Easter. The days of Holy Week became the most special occasion to celebrate a God who cares for his people, to liberate them, guide them, and save them. Ultimately, these holy days were about celebrating a God who makes history by forgiving, liberating, and saving.
The Lord Jesus is the most perfect and noble image of that God who has passed by, continues to pass, and will continue to pass to give hope to all human beings. Jesus rose again, passing from death to life to live forever with and in us. He died on the cross not out of a caprice, but to manifest the greatest love. From such love, we can overcome evil, sin, violence, death… In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we find the light of hope. This hope does not disappoint, as the apostle says. This Jubilee year, Christians become pilgrims of hope. Thus, we can say that every ritual, liturgical, celebratory, and devotional act we perform during Holy Week takes on meaning. All these acts lead us to connect with the mystery of Christ who forgives, saves, and liberates.
Perhaps this has been the goal at the San Cristóbal Parish in the Diocese of Chosica on East Lima: to connect with the paschal mystery of Christ and allow ourselves to be illuminated by the hope that only He can give us. Thus, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, the central celebrations were experienced with recollection, participation, and harmony by the faithful. The people seemed connected at every moment.
Likewise, the times of confession, family visits, and celebrations for the sick were opportunities to find and express the comfort and healing that God wants to offer us at different occasions during life. As we have already said, God passes, making history with his people. This was what was experienced and expressed in the processions held in different areas of the parish. The people set out as true pilgrims, joining in every event encompassing Jesus’ life, perhaps expressing the journey the Lord makes with everyone, for we definitely do not walk alone.
The hope that we are called to seek, live, and communicate, especially this year, teaches us to be with and celebrate with others. This hope renews us in the spirit of dedication and service. This was what we experienced at the Chrism Mass, together with the diocesan bishop and all the clergy.
It is no secret that the world is living through complex times. For example, in this country, Peru, its cities and regions are experiencing anxiety due to insecurity, crime, and extortion; the political reality is undergoing a crisis, and this generates uncertainty; illegal and illicit activities are taking over in various environments, and the people are confused by the ineffectiveness of institutions; poverty has increased, leaving more people and families vulnerable; nature and its ecosystems are being destroyed… Given this, we pray to heaven that the Easter we celebrate and live may become the source of the new things that God wants to accomplish with and through us. Happy Easter!
Father Alexander Espitia, sss
Community of Lima
Province of St John XXIII
Boletín Informativo Provincial – April 2025
