Christ is he who accepted the whole reality of human dying. And for that very reason he is the One who made a radical change in the way of understanding life. He showed that life is a passing over, not only to the limit of death, but to a new life. Thus the cross became for us the supreme Chair of the truth of God and of man. We must all be pupils—no matter what our age is—of this Chair. Then we will understand that the cross is also the cradle of the new man.
Pope John Paul II
Easter Homily for University Students
5 april 1979