Resurrection, heart of Christianity

I cannot get over what an amazing teacher Benedict XVI is. This kind of directness and challenge is exactly what Italy needs to hear (well, and the rest of us, too). This part is what stood out to me, especially the last paragraph:

From the Pope's October 19th Homily in Verona
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"From the day of Pentecost, the light of the Risen Lord has transfigured the life of the Apostles. They already had the clear perception of not being simply disciples of a new and interesting doctrine, but witnesses chosen and responsible for a revelation linked to the salvation of their contemporaries and all future generations.

The Paschal faith filled their hearts with ardor and extraordinary zeal, which made them able to face every difficulty and even death, and impressed their words with an irresistible power of persuasion. Hence, a group of people, lacking human resources and strong by their faith alone, fearlessly faced difficult persecution and martyrdom.

The Apostle John writes: "This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith" (I Jn 5:4b). The truth of this affirmation is documented also in Italy by two millennia of Christian history, with the countless testimonies of martyrs, saints and blesseds who have left an indelible mark on every corner of the beautiful Peninsula in which we live. Today, we are the heirs of those victorious witnesses! But precisely from this observation the question arises: what is our faith? To what extent are we able to communicate it today?

The certainty that Christ is risen assures us that no opposition can ever destroy the Church. We are heartened also by the awareness that only Christ can fully satisfy the profound longings of every human heart and respond to the most disturbing questions on pain, injustice and evil, on death and the afterlife.

Therefore, our faith is stable, but it is necessary that this faith come alive in each one of us. There is then a vast and capillary effort to be made so that each Christian is transformed into a "witness" ready and able to assume the duty to give a reason to everyone, and always of the hope that is in one (cf. I Pt 3:15).

To do this, we must return to proclaiming powerfully and joyfully the event of Christ's death and Resurrection, heart of Christianity, principal fulcrum of our faith, powerful lever of our certainty, impetuous wind that sweeps away every fear and indecision, every doubt and human calculation."

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Amy Wellborn and my friend Alex (Vitus Speaks) also have posted excellent excerpts from the homily and another speech the same day.