A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
10:34a, 37-43
Peter proceeded tospeak and said:
“You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
A reading from the Letter to the Colossians
3:1-4
Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
From the Gospel according to John
20:1-9
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
Meditating on the mystery of the Resurrection, we find an answer to our thirst for meaning. Faced with our fragile humanity, the Paschal proclamation becomes care and healing, nourishing hope in the face of the frightening challenges that life presents us with every day on a personal and global level. In the perspective of Easter, the Via Crucis, the Way of the Cross, is transfigured into the Via Lucis, the Way of Light. We need to savour and meditate on the joy after the pain, to retrace in the new light all the stages that preceded the Resurrection. Easter does not eliminate the cross, but defeats it in the miraculous duel that changed our human history. Even our time, marked by so many crosses, invokes the dawn of Paschal hope. Christ’s Resurrection is not an idea, a theory, but the Event that is the foundation of faith. He, the Risen One, through the Holy Spirit, continues to remind us of this, so that we can be His witnesses even where human history does not see light on the horizon. Paschal hope does not disappoint. To believe truly in the Pasch through our daily journey means revolutionizing our lives, being transformed in order to transform the world with the gentle and courageous power of Christian hope. (Pope Leo XIV – General Audience, 5 November 2025)
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![Gripping Paterson Passion Play brings Christ’s sacrifice to life #Catholic - The annual reenactment of Jesus’ agonizing journey to his crucifixion on Mount Calvary was presented by the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., on Good Friday, April 3. Beginning outside the cathedral, the event moved through city streets before concluding inside, with thousands of captivated onlookers following the procession.
The Passion Play, called Via Crucis or the Way of the Cross, was performed in English and Spanish by over 100 actors from the cathedral on Good Friday. Parishioners assisted with the production. As the procession advanced along the mile-long route under sunny skies, prayers and reflections were offered at designated stops. The reenactment ended with Jesus’ crucifixion at the altar inside the cathedral.
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Following the reenactment, Bishop Sweeney led a Good Friday service, including veneration of the cross and the celebration of Holy Communion for the faithful, inside St. John’s.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gripping-paterson-passion-play-brings-christs-sacrifice-to-life-catholic-the-annual-reenactment-of-jesus-agonizing-journey-to-his-crucifixion-on-mount-calvary-was-presented-by-the.jpg)
![Cathedral hosts powerful commemoration of Lord’s Passion and death #Catholic - Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney led the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey in commemorating Christ’s sacrifice on the cross on Good Friday, April 3, as he presided over the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. Before the at 3 p.m. services, the Via Crucis, a reenactment of the Passion of Christ, took place in the cathedral and through the streets in Paterson.
During the service, a Passion story from the Gospel of John was read, and 10 solemn intercessions were offered. To show reverence during the solemn service, clergy, lay ministers, and the faithful genuflected before or kissed the cross, and the clergy prostrated themselves before the altar or kneeled and prayed in silence. Then, Holy Communion was distributed. St. John’s altar was stripped bare without cloth, candles, or a cross.
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No Masses are celebrated on Good Friday, a day of fasting and abstinence.
Msgr. Geno Sylva, the cathedral’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects; Father Starli J. Castanos, a St. John’s parochial vicar; and the deacons of the cathedral joined Bishop Sweeney in participating in the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/cathedral-hosts-powerful-commemoration-of-lords-passion-and-death-catholic-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-led-the-paterson-diocese-in-new-jersey-in-commemorating-christs-sacrifice-on-the.jpg)
![Archbishop Broglio: War should always be ‘a last resort’ #Catholic Archbishop for the Military Services, USA Timothy Broglio said this week that the ongoing U.S.-Iran war doesnʼt seem to be legitimate under a just war theory, with the prelate admitting that while military intelligence may have additional information unknown to the public, it was nevertheless “hard” to see how the war could be justified. The archbishop, who also served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2022 to 2025, made the remarks during an interview with Ed OʼKeefe on CBS Newsʼs “Face the Nation,” set to air on April 5. OʼKeefe during the interview highlighted Saint Augustineʼs theory of “just war” in which the ancient theologian pointed out that “the causes for which men undertake wars” must be grounded in both peace and necessity. The journalist asked if the Iran war could be justified under that doctrine. “I would think under the just war theory, it is not,” the archbishop said. “Because while there was a threat with nuclear arms, [the war is] compensating for a threat before [the threat itself] is actually realized.”“I would line myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation,” Broglio continued. “I realize also that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate? And that is a problem.” “But in the meantime, lives are being lost, both there and also among troops,” he said. “So it is a concern.”On March 31 Pope Leo XIV appealed for world peace amid multiple conflicts throughout the Middle East, urging the faithful to pray “for the victims of war … that there may truly be a new, renewed peace, which can give new life to all.”Earlier, on Palm Sunday, the Holy Father spoke out more strongly against global conflict, arguing that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war."In his interview on CBS, Broglio pointed to remarks in October of 1965 by then-Pope Paul VI, who in addressing the United Nations decried the “blood of millions” resulting from numerous global conflicts, telling the international body: “Never again war, never again war!” “Now, so many years later, weʼre still in this situation,” Broglio said. “So I think Pope Leo would definitely support saying that, you know, we have to find a situation where men and women can sit down and find avenues of peace.”“I think war is always a last resort,” the archbishop said during the interview. In January, amid overtures by the U.S. to potentially invade Greenland, Broglio in an interview with the BBC expressed concern that soldiers might be “put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that is morally questionable.”Speaking to CBS, the prelate acknowledged that a soldier in the military “has to obey [an order] unless itʼs clearly immoral.”“And then he would probably have to speak to his chaplain, to his chain of command,” the archbishop said. “The question might be, would generals or admirals have space to perhaps say, can we look at this a different way?” “But having spoken to some of them too, theyʼre also in the same dilemma,” he said. “So I guess my counsel would be to do as little harm as you can, and to try and preserve innocent lives.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/archbishop-broglio-war-should-always-be-a-last-resort-catholic-archbishop-for-the-military-services-usa-timothy-broglio-said-this-week-that-the-ongoing-u-s-iran-war-doesncabct-seem-to-be-leg.jpg "Archbishop Broglio: War should always be ‘a last resort’ #Catholic Archbishop for the Military Services, USA Timothy Broglio said this week that the ongoing U.S.-Iran war doesnʼt seem to be legitimate under a just war theory, with the prelate admitting that while military intelligence may have additional information unknown to the public, it was nevertheless “hard” to see how the war could be justified. The archbishop, who also served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2022 to 2025, made the remarks during an interview with Ed OʼKeefe on CBS Newsʼs “Face the Nation,” set to air on April 5. OʼKeefe during the interview highlighted Saint Augustineʼs theory of “just war” in which the ancient theologian pointed out that “the causes for which men undertake wars” must be grounded in both peace and necessity. The journalist asked if the Iran war could be justified under that doctrine. “I would think under the just war theory, it is not,” the archbishop said. “Because while there was a threat with nuclear arms, [the war is] compensating for a threat before [the threat itself] is actually realized.”“I would line myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation,” Broglio continued. “I realize also that you could say, well, with whom are you going to negotiate? And that is a problem.” “But in the meantime, lives are being lost, both there and also among troops,” he said. “So it is a concern.”On March 31 Pope Leo XIV appealed for world peace amid multiple conflicts throughout the Middle East, urging the faithful to pray “for the victims of war … that there may truly be a new, renewed peace, which can give new life to all.”Earlier, on Palm Sunday, the Holy Father spoke out more strongly against global conflict, arguing that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.\"In his interview on CBS, Broglio pointed to remarks in October of 1965 by then-Pope Paul VI, who in addressing the United Nations decried the “blood of millions” resulting from numerous global conflicts, telling the international body: “Never again war, never again war!” “Now, so many years later, weʼre still in this situation,” Broglio said. “So I think Pope Leo would definitely support saying that, you know, we have to find a situation where men and women can sit down and find avenues of peace.”“I think war is always a last resort,” the archbishop said during the interview. In January, amid overtures by the U.S. to potentially invade Greenland, Broglio in an interview with the BBC expressed concern that soldiers might be “put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that is morally questionable.”Speaking to CBS, the prelate acknowledged that a soldier in the military “has to obey [an order] unless itʼs clearly immoral.”“And then he would probably have to speak to his chaplain, to his chain of command,” the archbishop said. “The question might be, would generals or admirals have space to perhaps say, can we look at this a different way?” “But having spoken to some of them too, theyʼre also in the same dilemma,” he said. “So I guess my counsel would be to do as little harm as you can, and to try and preserve innocent lives.”")
![Archbishop shares 10 characteristics of his thriving seminary – #Catholic – The archbishop of Toledo and primate of Spain, Francisco Cerro, said it is not uncommon to be asked “what the secret is” behind the vitality of his seminary, which for decades has had one of the highest enrollments in the country.Cerro noted that questions about the seminary’s success lead him and his team to live in “profound humility and sincere gratitude” for what God has granted them through “the heart of Jesus Christ, eternal high priest,” both for the good of the Church and for “a humanity incapable of finding a way back to the Lord, marked by apostasy and, above all, weary and burdened because it lacks the Love of loves.”In a recent letter, Cerro offered 10 points he said have shaped the seminary’s strong vocation culture — points “strengthened by the pastors who have served this primatial see, watered by the blood of martyrs, and sustained by the witness of holiness of so many lives.”1. “Reasons of faith”“We enter the seminary for reasons of faith, not for human reasons, and we remain for reasons of faith,” explained the prelate, who — drawing inspiration from the words Pope Leo XIV addressed to Spanish seminarians in February — added that “when we lose the supernatural dimension of our vocation, we lose everything.”2. The Church confirms the vocationCerro explained that “in the seminary, the vocation — which we place in the hands of the Church — is discerned.” Thus, priestly ordination “takes place when that call has been confirmed by the Church, which is the body of Christ.”3. A transformed heartThe archbishop of Toledo, recalling his days as a seminarian, said: “I must allow the seminary to pass through me, to enter deep within me, and to gradually form and transform me. Formation must help us to live with the sentiments of the heart of Jesus. We cannot be like those smooth stones we see in mountain rivers: The water flows over them, but it does not penetrate their interior.”4. Human, not worldlyAnother factor contributing to the success of the Toledo seminary is awareness of having “seminarians who are deeply human, yet not at all worldly,” Cerro said, men who share in “the joys, hopes, sorrows, and anxieties of our brothers,” for “the world awaits holy priests who know how to accompany people on the journey of life.”5. Solid in-depth formationThe prelate said the Toledo seminary offers “solid in-depth formation,” grounded in the magisterium of the Church, “so as not to turn our seminaries into a laboratory for all manner of experiments, the outcome of which we all know.”6. Based on the word of God and the lives of the saints“Based on the living word, on the doctrine of the Church, on the experience of the saints, and in dialogue with a world that needs the Redeemer of the world more than ever” — this is how the formation process is carried out, the prelate emphasized.7. Living in the presentCerro said the seminary approaches its work “without nostalgia for a past that will not return. With eyes of faith, living in the present in communion with Peter, we form ourselves to live out what is essential: to be holy and blameless before God out of love.”8. Fraternity and unity in diversity“The seminary — as a presbyterate in formation — must be a community that lives like a family,” the prelate added, “for this fraternity strengthens that which unites us, enabling us to live with one heart while respecting the healthy plurality of sensibilities that reaffirm one faith, one baptism, and one Lord, in communion with Peter in [Christ’s] Church.”9. Devoted to Mary“We place the seminary in the heart of the Immaculate One. She watches over every seminarian so that he may attain the goal of a life of priestly dedication and generosity,” the archbishop shared.10. Entrusted to the saints and martyrsFinally, Cerro said he considers the final characteristic of the seminary is that it is entrusted to “St. Ildefonsus, to Blessed Sancha, and to so many holy pastors who have passed through it” as well as “to the martyrs of the religious persecution in Spain.”He appealed to them to “grant us many holy vocations, so that the Church journeying in Toledo may never lack pastors after the heart of Christ.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/archbishop-shares-10-characteristics-of-his-thriving-seminary-catholic-the-archbishop-of-toledo-and-primate-of-spain-francisco-cerro-said-it-is-not-uncommon-to-be-asked-what-the-secret.webp "Archbishop shares 10 characteristics of his thriving seminary – #Catholic – The archbishop of Toledo and primate of Spain, Francisco Cerro, said it is not uncommon to be asked “what the secret is” behind the vitality of his seminary, which for decades has had one of the highest enrollments in the country.Cerro noted that questions about the seminary’s success lead him and his team to live in “profound humility and sincere gratitude” for what God has granted them through “the heart of Jesus Christ, eternal high priest,” both for the good of the Church and for “a humanity incapable of finding a way back to the Lord, marked by apostasy and, above all, weary and burdened because it lacks the Love of loves.”In a recent letter, Cerro offered 10 points he said have shaped the seminary’s strong vocation culture — points “strengthened by the pastors who have served this primatial see, watered by the blood of martyrs, and sustained by the witness of holiness of so many lives.”1. “Reasons of faith”“We enter the seminary for reasons of faith, not for human reasons, and we remain for reasons of faith,” explained the prelate, who — drawing inspiration from the words Pope Leo XIV addressed to Spanish seminarians in February — added that “when we lose the supernatural dimension of our vocation, we lose everything.”2. The Church confirms the vocationCerro explained that “in the seminary, the vocation — which we place in the hands of the Church — is discerned.” Thus, priestly ordination “takes place when that call has been confirmed by the Church, which is the body of Christ.”3. A transformed heartThe archbishop of Toledo, recalling his days as a seminarian, said: “I must allow the seminary to pass through me, to enter deep within me, and to gradually form and transform me. Formation must help us to live with the sentiments of the heart of Jesus. We cannot be like those smooth stones we see in mountain rivers: The water flows over them, but it does not penetrate their interior.”4. Human, not worldlyAnother factor contributing to the success of the Toledo seminary is awareness of having “seminarians who are deeply human, yet not at all worldly,” Cerro said, men who share in “the joys, hopes, sorrows, and anxieties of our brothers,” for “the world awaits holy priests who know how to accompany people on the journey of life.”5. Solid in-depth formationThe prelate said the Toledo seminary offers “solid in-depth formation,” grounded in the magisterium of the Church, “so as not to turn our seminaries into a laboratory for all manner of experiments, the outcome of which we all know.”6. Based on the word of God and the lives of the saints“Based on the living word, on the doctrine of the Church, on the experience of the saints, and in dialogue with a world that needs the Redeemer of the world more than ever” — this is how the formation process is carried out, the prelate emphasized.7. Living in the presentCerro said the seminary approaches its work “without nostalgia for a past that will not return. With eyes of faith, living in the present in communion with Peter, we form ourselves to live out what is essential: to be holy and blameless before God out of love.”8. Fraternity and unity in diversity“The seminary — as a presbyterate in formation — must be a community that lives like a family,” the prelate added, “for this fraternity strengthens that which unites us, enabling us to live with one heart while respecting the healthy plurality of sensibilities that reaffirm one faith, one baptism, and one Lord, in communion with Peter in [Christ’s] Church.”9. Devoted to Mary“We place the seminary in the heart of the Immaculate One. She watches over every seminarian so that he may attain the goal of a life of priestly dedication and generosity,” the archbishop shared.10. Entrusted to the saints and martyrsFinally, Cerro said he considers the final characteristic of the seminary is that it is entrusted to “St. Ildefonsus, to Blessed Sancha, and to so many holy pastors who have passed through it” as well as “to the martyrs of the religious persecution in Spain.”He appealed to them to “grant us many holy vocations, so that the Church journeying in Toledo may never lack pastors after the heart of Christ.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
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