{"id":25092,"date":"2025-04-21T10:42:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T14:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=25092"},"modified":"2025-04-21T11:31:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T15:31:50","slug":"25092","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=25092","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I&#039;ve Just Seen Jesus (Lyric Video\/Live At The John F. Kennedy Center For Performing Art...\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eEA-rrf08ZQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Universal Message<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In his homily on Easter Sunday 2019, Father Richard Rohr shared\u202fthe good news of the resurrection:<\/em>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Brazilian writer and journalist Fernando Sabino wrote, \u201cIn the end, everything will be all right. If it\u2019s not all right, it\u2019s not the end.\u201d [1] That\u2019s what today is all about: \u201cEverything will be okay in the end.\u201d\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The message of Easter is not primarily a message about Jesus\u2019 body, although we\u2019ve been taught to limit it to this one-time \u201cmiracle.\u201d We\u2019ve been educated to expect a lone, risen Jesus saying, \u201cI rose from the dead; look at me!\u201d I\u2019m afraid that\u2019s why many people, even Christians, don\u2019t really seem to get too excited about Easter. If the message doesn\u2019t somehow include us, humans don\u2019t tend to be that interested in theology. Let me share what I think the real message is:\u202f<strong><em>Every message about Jesus is a message about all of us,<\/em>\u00a0about humanity.<\/strong> Sadly, the Western church that most of us were raised in emphasized the individual resurrection of Jesus. It was a miracle that we could neither prove nor experience, but that we just dared to boldly believe.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s a great secret, at least for Western Christians, hidden in the other half of the universal church. In the Eastern Orthodox Church\u2014in places like Syria, Turkey, Greece, and Egypt\u2014<strong>Easter is not usually painted with a solitary Jesus rising from the dead. He\u2019s always surrounded by crowds of people\u2014both haloed and unhaloed. In fact, in traditional icons, he\u2019s pulling people out of Hades. Hades isn\u2019t the same as hell, although we put the two words together, and so we grew up reciting in the creed that \u201cJesus descended into hell.\u201d\u202f<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, Hades is simply the place of the dead. There\u2019s no punishment or judgment involved. It\u2019s just where a soul waits for God. But we neglected that interpretation. The Eastern Church was probably much closer to the truth that the resurrection is a message about humanity and all creation. It\u2019s a message about history. It\u2019s a corporate message, and it includes you and me and everyone else. If that isn\u2019t true, it\u2019s no wonder that we basically lost interest.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today is the feast of hope, direction, purpose, meaning, and community. We\u2019re all in this together. The cynicism and negativity that our country and many other countries have descended into show a clear example of what happens when people do not have hope. If it\u2019s all hopeless, we individually lose hope too. Easter is an announcement of a common hope. When we sing in the Easter hymn that Christ destroyed death, that means the death of all of us. It\u2019s not just about Jesus; God promises to all, \u201cLife is not ended, it merely changes,\u201d as we say in the funeral liturgy. That\u2019s what happened in Jesus, and that\u2019s what will happen in us. In the end, everything will be all right. History is set on an inherently positive and hopeful tangent.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Example for Us All<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In this&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/email.cac.org\/t\/d-l-sdijthl-dkgktyktu-j\/\"><em>Easter message<\/em><\/a><em>, Richard Rohr teaches that Jesus\u2019 resurrection is a universal pattern we can trust:&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s try to get to what I think is something basic, because the basic is beautiful, but to most people, it\u2019s utterly new.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We got into trouble when we made the person and the message of Jesus into a formal religion, whereby we had an object of worship; then we had to have a priesthood, formal rules and rituals. I\u2019m not saying we should throw those things out, but once we emphasize cult and moral code, we have a religion. When we emphasize experience, unitive experience, we have the world Jesus is moving around in. Once we made Jesus into a form of religion, we projected the whole message onto him alone.&nbsp;<em>He<\/em>&nbsp;died,&nbsp;<em>he&nbsp;<\/em>suffered,&nbsp;<em>he<\/em>&nbsp;rose from the dead,&nbsp;<em>he<\/em>&nbsp;ascended and returned to God. We thought that by celebrating these wonderful feasts like Easter that this somehow meant that we were members of the club.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you know what? I\u2019m quite sure that was not intended as the message! <strong>Jesus was not the lone exemplar. Jesus was not the standalone symbol for the pattern of the universe. Resurrection is just the way things work! <\/strong>When we say hallelujah on this Easter morning, we\u2019re also saying hallelujah to our own lives, to where they\u2019re going, to what we believe in, and hope for.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reality rolls through cycles of death and resurrection, death and resurrection, death and resurrection. In the raising up of Jesus, we\u2019re assured that this is the pattern for everything\u2014that we, and anybody who is suffering\u2014is also going to be raised up.<\/strong> This is what God does for a suffering reality. What we crucify, what reality crucifies, God transforms. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s naive to say hallelujah. We have every reason, especially now, since biology and science are also saying this seems to be the shape of everything. It just keeps changing form, meaning, focus or direction, but nothing totally goes away.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s an act of faith on our side. In our experience, our most cherished people, pets, and even places, fade away\u2014but Jesus is the archetype of the shape of the universe. To believe in Jesus is to believe that all of this is going somewhere and that God is going to make it so. All we have to do is stay on the train, stay on the wave, trusting that by our crucifixions, we would be allowed to fail, fumble and die, and be transformed by grace and by God.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Easter is the great feast of the triumph of universal grace, the triumph of universal salvation, not just the salvation of the body of Jesus. <\/strong>What we\u2019re talking about creates a people of hope, and a culture of hope that doesn\u2019t slip into cynicism and despair. Easter is saying, we don\u2019t need to go there. Love is going to win. Life is going to win. Grace is going to win. Hallelujah!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=47400&amp;post_id=161800335&amp;utm_source=post-email-title&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=2dkj2&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxNjE4MDAzMzUsImlhdCI6MTc0NTI0NjEwMCwiZXhwIjoxNzQ3ODM4MTAwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDc0MDAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.CAqDjIRMhYip7m0gexGu3ZVK2MaulQLvFw9uc4UaCWY\">Pope Francis<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Pope\u2019s final sermon began with the words, \u201cMary Magdalene.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@dianabutlerbass\">DIANA BUTLER BASS<\/a>APR 21<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@dianabutlerbass\"><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=47400&amp;post_id=161800335&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;submitLike=true&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxNjE4MDAzMzUsInJlYWN0aW9uIjoi4p2kIiwiaWF0IjoxNzQ1MjQ2MTAwLCJleHAiOjE3NDc4MzgxMDAsImlzcyI6InB1Yi00NzQwMCIsInN1YiI6InJlYWN0aW9uIn0.zIbcPcUsDUlx7U4JN4exGL_tPTNg_p7hBtkpwHhkSew&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=email-reaction&amp;r=2dkj2\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=47400&amp;post_id=161800335&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;comments=true&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxNjE4MDAzMzUsImlhdCI6MTc0NTI0NjEwMCwiZXhwIjoxNzQ3ODM4MTAwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDc0MDAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.CAqDjIRMhYip7m0gexGu3ZVK2MaulQLvFw9uc4UaCWY&amp;r=2dkj2&amp;utm_campaign=email-half-magic-comments&amp;action=post-comment&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=47400&amp;post_id=161800335&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;utm_campaign=email-share&amp;action=share&amp;triggerShare=true&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=2dkj2&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxNjE4MDAzMzUsImlhdCI6MTc0NTI0NjEwMCwiZXhwIjoxNzQ3ODM4MTAwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDc0MDAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.CAqDjIRMhYip7m0gexGu3ZVK2MaulQLvFw9uc4UaCWY\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.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.KpXo6oO3hLYcbo57-85j0TGk49ilkFCDyP3cX3FGXYg?&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/open.substack.com\/pub\/dianabutlerbass\/p\/pope-francis?utm_source=email&amp;redirect=app-store&amp;utm_campaign=email-read-in-app\">READ IN APP<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pope Francis died today, on this Easter Monday.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout his papacy, and despite the vast differences between our lives, I always felt a profound spiritual kinship with him. And I\u2019ve been deeply grateful that he was a moral leader with a unique and important call and message for global community in these days.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I will pray for him and for the Catholic Church in these hard and holy days. If you are a praying person, I hope you will, too. Who is the leader of the world\u2019s Catholics is important \u2014 especially important in these days of authoritarian cruelty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is obvious Pope Francis understood that. He didn\u2019t shy away from that responsibility in his final writings and remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=47400&amp;post_id=161800335&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;utm_campaign=email-share&amp;action=share&amp;triggerShare=true&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=2dkj2&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxNjE4MDAzMzUsImlhdCI6MTc0NTI0NjEwMCwiZXhwIjoxNzQ3ODM4MTAwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDc0MDAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.CAqDjIRMhYip7m0gexGu3ZVK2MaulQLvFw9uc4UaCWY\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>As the commemorations spread in the news and online, you will probably see many comments on his final remarks to the crowd in St. Peter\u2019s Square, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/95bc6deb-2cdd-426a-8938-ba71f85e246b?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\">Urbi et Orbi\u201d (\u201cTo the City and to the World\u201d)<\/a>. The address is a small masterwork in theology and politics \u2014 as so many of Pope Francis\u2019 addresses have been:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>The light of Easter impels us to break down the barriers that create division and are fraught with grave political and economic consequences. It impels us to care for one another, to increase our mutual solidarity, and to work for the integral development of each human person\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the \u201cweapons\u201d of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You probably will NOT see, however, Pope Francis\u2019 final sermon, one he wrote but was spoken on his behalf at the Easter mass<\/strong>&nbsp;in addition to his public remarks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Pope\u2019s final sermon began with the words, \u201cMary Magdalene.\u201d   <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The entire sermon is beautiful \u2014 and I found it spiritually stunning. In it, Pope Francis elevated Mary Magdalene to the same status (maybe even a higher status!) as Peter and John, the two most significant disciples. Some of this happens \u201cbetween the lines,\u201d but there\u2019s a lot happening theologically in this homily. He transformed the witness of two into a triad of three, lifting her (he continually lists her first) as a model for the entire church and faithful discipleship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From his&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/71598f4f-2eb5-4c54-923a-0856fd80e08c?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\">Easter sermon<\/a>:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>Mary Magdalene, seeing that the stone of the tomb had been rolled away, ran to tell Peter and John. After receiving the shocking news, the two disciples also went out and \u2014 as the Gospel says \u2014 \u201cthe two were running together\u201d (Jn 20:4). The main figures of the Easter narratives all ran! On the one hand, \u201crunning\u201d could express the concern that the Lord\u2019s body had been taken away; but, on the other hand, the haste of Mary Magdalene, Peter and John expresses the desire, the yearning of the heart, the inner attitude of those who set out to search for Jesus. He, in fact, has risen from the dead and therefore is no longer in the tomb. We must look for him elsewhere.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This is the message of Easter: we must look for him elsewhere. Christ is risen, he is alive! He is no longer a prisoner of death, he is no longer wrapped in the shroud, and therefore we cannot confine him to a fairy tale, we cannot make him a hero of the ancient world, or think of him as a statue in a museum! On the contrary, we must look for him and this is why we cannot remain stationary. We must take action, set out to look for him: look for him in life, look for him in the faces of our brothers and sisters, look for him in everyday business, look for him everywhere except in the tomb.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>We must look for him without ceasing. Because if he has risen from the dead, then he is present everywhere, he dwells among us, he hides himself and reveals himself even today in the sisters and brothers we meet along the way, in the most ordinary and unpredictable situations of our lives. He is alive and is with us always, shedding the tears of those who suffer and adding to the beauty of life through the small acts of love carried out by each of us.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For this reason, our Easter faith, which opens us to the encounter with the risen Lord and prepares us to welcome him into our lives, is anything but a complacent settling into some sort of \u201creligious reassurance.\u201d On the contrary, Easter spurs us to action, to run like Mary Magdalene and the disciples; it invites us to have eyes that can \u201csee beyond,\u201d to perceive Jesus, the one who lives, as the God who reveals himself and makes himself present even today, who speaks to us, goes before us, surprises us. Like Mary Magdalene, every day we can experience losing the Lord, but every day we can also run to look for him again, with the certainty that he will allow himself to be found and will fill us with the light of his resurrection.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Today, Pope Francis ran into the tender embrace of a loving God.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the beginning of the Easter season. May we who are Christians, run toward Jesus, the one risen liberating love. Like Mary Magdalene.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May we find the arms of God wide open. And may we open our arms to the newness of life offered in the embrace, embracing all others with that same love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May we follow Christ through and inspired by Mary Magdalene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In the final prayer he wrote for the Easter mass,<\/strong>&nbsp;may we find ourselves in Pope Francis\u2019 holy hope:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>Sisters, brothers, in the wonder of the Easter faith, carrying in our hearts every expectation of peace and liberation, we can say: with You, O Lord, everything is new. With you, everything begins again.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=47400&amp;post_id=161800335&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;comments=true&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxNjE4MDAzMzUsImlhdCI6MTc0NTI0NjEwMCwiZXhwIjoxNzQ3ODM4MTAwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDc0MDAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.CAqDjIRMhYip7m0gexGu3ZVK2MaulQLvFw9uc4UaCWY&amp;r=2dkj2&amp;utm_campaign=email-half-magic-comments&amp;action=post-comment\">Leave a comment<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>It is worth noting that Pope Francis continually re-imagined and re-presented Mary Magdalene over the course of his papacy. As recently as February, in a Jubilee audience at the Vatican,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/112542a7-0717-4a83-bd13-5a06fe020997?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\">he held her up as the model of discipleship<\/a>and transformation for a \u201cnew world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The jubilee is for people and for the Earth a new beginning; everything must be rethought within the dream of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2014 Pope Francis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cottage is a newsletter and community that fosters a faith of love and liberation. If you are able, I welcome your support as a paid subscriber.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.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._GHJhnrmP-lqsaHeTnNUTdNZW8Fvtc5GjIVe5A415Vw?&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=subscribe-widget-preamble&amp;utm_content=161800335\">Upgrade to paid<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">INSPIRATION<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Breaking through the powers of darkness<br>bursting from the stifling tomb<br>he slipped into the graveyard garden<br>to smell the blossomed air.<br><br>Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,<br>that I have journeyed far<br>into the darkest deeps I&#8217;ve been<br>in nights without a star.<br><br>Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,<br>that fear will flee my light<br>that though the ground will tremble<br>and despair will stalk the earth<br>I hold them firmly by the hand<br>through terror to new birth.<br><br>Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,<br>the globe and all that&#8217;s made<br>is clasped to God&#8217;s great bosom<br>they must not be afraid<br>for though they fall and die, he said,<br>and the black earth wrap them tight<br>they will know the warmth<br>of God&#8217;s healing hands<br>in the early morning light.<br><br>Tell them, Mary, Jesus said,<br>smelling the blossomed air,<br>tell my people to rise with me<br>to heal the Earth&#8217;s despair.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014 Edwina Gateley<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.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._GHJhnrmP-lqsaHeTnNUTdNZW8Fvtc5GjIVe5A415Vw?&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=subscribe-widget&amp;utm_content=161800335\">Upgrade to paid<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sisters and brothers, especially those of you experiencing pain and sorrow, your silent cry has been heard and your tears have been counted; not one of them has been lost! In the passion and death of Jesus, God has taken upon himself all the evil in this world and in his infinite mercy has defeated it. He has uprooted the diabolical pride that poisons the human heart and wreaks violence and corruption on every side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014&nbsp;<em><strong>&#8220;URBI ET ORBI&#8221; MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS<br><\/strong>Easter&nbsp;<\/em>2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Universal Message In his homily on Easter Sunday 2019, Father Richard Rohr shared\u202fthe good news of the resurrection:\u202f&nbsp; The Brazilian writer and journalist Fernando Sabino wrote, \u201cIn the end, everything will be all right. If it\u2019s not all right, it\u2019s not the end.\u201d [1] That\u2019s what today is all about: \u201cEverything will be okay [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25092"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25092"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25100,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25092\/revisions\/25100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}