Father Giancarlo Zamengo, in the name of the friars of the Basilica of Saint Anthony
Watch the complete greeting video message [ https://youtu.be/UKD1ZP2OLVU ].
Dear friends of Saint Anthony, over the last few days I have been asking myself what Easter message I would like to share with you on this occasion.
What does Saint Anthony suggest for Holy Easter 2026?
There are the powerful of the world who, at this time, are pointing us towards paths of violence and war. It is striking that there is still talk of plans to spend hundreds of billions of euros on building weapons.
There are those in power who are trying to realise their mad schemes for supremacy through war and the violence of weapons!
We at ‟Messaggero di Sant’Antonioˮ are always telling you about projects to build hospitals, schools and wells, and to provide bread for poor people’s kitchens! We are determined to value even the smallest contribution. I’m thinking of the few coins given by a pensioner who struggles to pay for heating or medical tests, yet, despite everything, refuses to withhold his help for the poorest among us.
We who experience daily how Saint Anthony looks after those who ask him for help.
In one of his Easter sermons, Saint Anthony writes that the Risen Lord grants us a triple peace.
The peace of this world, the peace we long for in our world.
The peace of the heart, which comes from walking the path of virtue and goodness.
The peace of eternity!
The first peace must be with your neighbour; the second with yourself; in this way, you will also find the third peace, in Heaven with God.
My hope, therefore, is that we may all build spaces of peace in our lives, in our families and in our communities, with enterprise and courage.
In what way?
St Anthony, commenting on the episode in which the risen Jesus shows his disciples the wounds of his passion, writes:
‘After showing them his hands and his side, the Lord said to them once more: “Peace be with you. Just as the Father sent me to suffer, despite the love he has for me, so I too, with the same love, send you.”’
We too have our own marks, the hurts of life to show. But for us, celebrating Easter means feeling chosen and loved so that we may bear witness to a love that knows no bounds and is without measure.
Let us cherish the love that Jesus, the Risen One, has for each of us, in the joy of our hearts and our lives!
Happy Easter!