The 87-year-old pontiff entered St. Peter’s Basilica in his wheelchair amid health issues, addressing some 6,000 people according to Vatican News.

In his 10-minute homily, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel account of the grief-stricken women visiting the tomb of Jesus. On their way, Pope said the women wondered who would roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for them.

Yet once they arrived, they looked up and saw that the large stone had already been rolled back.

"There are times when we may feel that a great stone blocks the door of our hearts, stifling life, extinguishing hope, imprisoning us in the tomb of our fears and regrets, and standing in the way of joy and hope," the Catholic leader said.

"We encounter such 'tombstones' on our journey through life in all the experiences and situations that rob us of enthusiasm and of the strength to persevere," he added.

Such "tombstones" appear as the death of loved ones, disappointments, and even self-absorption, selfishness, and indifference.

Pope Francis, therefore, invited the faithful to “look up” to Jesus: “If we allow Jesus to take us by the hand, no experience of failure or sorrow, however painful, will have the last word on the meaning and destiny of our lives."

"Henceforth, if we allow ourselves to be raised up by the Risen Lord, no setback, no suffering, no death will be able to halt our progress towards the fullness of life," he also said.

The pontiff then reminded Catholics to welcome Jesus into their lives and say yes to him.

Easter, he emphasized, is a promise that victory belongs to the Risen Christ and all who believe in him.

"Then no stone will block the way to our hearts, no tomb will suppress the joy of life, no failure will doom us to despair. Let us lift our eyes to him and ask that the power of his resurrection may roll away the heavy stones that weigh down our souls," Francis said.

"Let us lift our eyes to him, the Risen Lord, and press forward in the certainty that, against the obscure backdrop of our failed hopes and our deaths, the eternal life that he came to bring is even now present in our midst," he added.