Our world is full of hatred, darkness, and difficulty. As the Roman Missal mentions, this world is “becoming cold.” We can observe the shadow of the Evil One in our society. There can be no doubt that this world is in need of Redemption. No human effort alone can bring peace, and no human undertaking can be victorious over death and the devil, so cruelly present nowadays.   “Christus Surrexit Vere!” – “Christ is truly risen!” This fact seems to contradict all of the above. How can we celebrate the joy of Easter if we know that the black wings of evil cast deep shadows on our existence? How can we be happy if we experience the consequences of original sin in our own lives through human weakness, failure, illness, and continuous struggle? What impact has the Resurrection on the world?   “Ave, O Crux, Spes Unica!” – “Hail, O Cross, our only hope!” In fact, the joy of the Resurrection can be deep and sincere because it is built on the sacrifice of Redemption, whose altar is the Cross and whose Victim and Priest is Our Blessed Lord Himself. By restoring the plan of God for Creation by becoming the Victim for our sins, He has stopped the power that death and the devil can have over those who believe. Washed in the Blood of the Lamb, the children of God may still suffer some of the consequences of the former disorder, but they know that nothing can separate them from the love of God.   “Deus Caritas Est” – “God is Love,” and because He loves each one of us, He has become Man. He has shared the darkness of our existence unto death, and dying on the Cross, He has crushed the evil forces in a victory of Divine Light. His love is also the reason why the sacrifice of Redemption is completed by the triumph of the Resurrection. In order for us to participate in the fullness of Redemption, Jesus not only invites us to offer up our own crosses and sacrifices togeth- er with His own supreme Sacrifice, but He also immerses us in the joy of a new life present in His Resurrection. All moments of true happiness are already a taste of the final glory revealed to us on Easter morning. The love of God is stronger than the forces of this world. This way, the Resurrection of the Lord becomes for us the Seal of Redemption. This seal not only confirms with a historical fact that the Blessed Lord is stronger than death, but also molds our lives unto His, giving to us the firm hope that everything we do and suffer for the Lord has a deep meaning and collaborates with the Redemption. We cannot turn away from the world, and we are frequently exposed to its shadows, but we can bring light into the dark by living an existence that links sacrifice and resurrection through the virtue of charity. Because God is Love and has shown this love to us with his Death and Resurrection, we receive the grace to transform the crosses of our existence into instruments of redemption.   Christ is the Victor, and His victory is final. Let the world not deceive us. None of its shadows are impenetrable, and all of its challenges have to recede in front of the strength of the Resurrection. The Christian virtue of Hope is based on this firm conviction, and whoever holds onto this hope is faithful to the Seal of Redemption that we received on that first Easter morning and that we renew triumphantly every year in the solemn liturgy of the Church.   Msgr. R. Michael Schmitz