Editor's note: This spiritual poem "Beatitudes for Easter in Our Pandemic World" was written from Lajos Békefy, a Hungarian pastor, for Easter 2020.
Beatitudes for Easter in our pandemic world
Oh, blessed night,
which knew alone the hour
when Jesus was resurrected.
Oh, blessed hundred pounds
of mirha and aloe oil,
Costly salve,
you scented around
His tortured body.
Oh, blessed lints, and headgear,
covering His holy body and face,
and after His resurrection,
you silently proclaimed:
He is not here, for he was resurrected!
Oh, blessed tomb
that took him in,
surrounded him,
the Redeemer of the world,
who was your first resident for a few hours,
and on that mysterious dawn
you set Him free
to stay with us forever.
O blessed stone
that concealed the Saint
and his secrets from curious, false eyes,
and because you gave free way to Him
by rolling the stone from the entrance of the tomb.
And you, blessed garden,
which after the drops of blood and the drops of sweat of the Gethesmani,
before the torments of the Cross of Golgotha crushing the soul and body,
you have given relief to the Lord of All.
And you blessed, happy angels,
who have guarded Him,
and have taken care of Him in the empty tomb,
who served Him from the very beginning,
when he has not yet arrived on earth,
Then in the barn of the birth cave
He were cherished by the angels.
In the field, to the shepherds, these angels proclaimed
the greatest good news in the world:
Fear not, for I declare to you a great joy,
which will be the joy of all the people.
A Savior was born to you today,
who is the Lord Christ in the city of David.
At the earthly beginnings and earthly ends
the angels were the messengers.
Oh, happy night, blessed are you
because you let go through yourself
the Savior of the world,
And you are blessed, oh, Sunday dawn,
you have witnessed the new creation,
And you covered te biggest miracle of cosmic history,
the Resurrected, who died for us.
Oh, blessed are you Joseph, carpenter of Nazareth,
and you, Joseph of Arimathea.
You have heard the weeping voice
of the Son of God.
And His last words on the cross, too.
And blessed are you, oh, Maries,
above all you who are blessed among women
Mother Mary,
Who wept with tears of joy that mysterious night
And you, Mary Magdalene,
Who first looked into the empty tomb,
And you wept a weeping cry,
Because you saw, "They took my Lord, and I don't know
where they put Him".
Oh, blessed, happy eyes, hearts, ears, lives!
My Lord, living Jesus, you came into this world at night,
And you broke through the rock-hard uterus of death at night.
You felt that unredeemed world
on your skin in an alien cave shed.
And you rested in someone else's cave tomb.
Strangers had the bandage
into which your tiny body was
Covered by your sweet, good mother.
The shroud belonged to strangers
The perfume too,
Which suffered body swung around you.
Yet you entered in the world in such a way.
And you came out of the grave
as who came home and goes home.
Oh beatifical Christ, be blessed,
That so many silent witnesses and
the army of angels,
Female souls,
True men
Could have seen you.
Blessed witnesses, happy souls are they ,
And objects of creation are also your silent, happy witnesses!
You came home, you stayed with us,
You have become our home, our country.
Your name and presence is
a warm nest of the universe for us.
Blessed be you, victorious victim,
Who was thought to be defeated by the power,
And by the leaders of your earthly people.
You are still a winner among us today,
And as the Prophet Zechariah
The angel once said
Among the myrtle trees:
We've walked the Earth, and the whole earth is calm, peaceful.
That's what you gave us, oh, blessed
and blessings Bringer Resurrected.
And where you are, victorious sacrificial Lamb of God,
the Earth and sky are still calm and peaceful.
Even over the coffins of 200,000
or more coronavirus-victims
You are the peace and tranquility.
There's nobody, only you,
oh, Resurrected,
Who's first Words after His resurrection
we can still hear today,
perhaps even more clearly than ever
Peace be with you!
This is the miracle of your presence,
Cosmic good news,
Heart-shining heavenly light.
What else can we answer you with a resounding word:
Glory be to you above all things,
Who overcame death!
And you will win over the coronavirus as well.
May glory be to you today and here,
On this special pandemic Easter,
and always and everywhere,
Forever and ever.
Amen.
