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EASTER SUNDAY – 2024
When we celebrate Easter we hold sacred the memory of God’s great act of raising Jesus from the dead. We believe that the cross was not the end for Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is Gods protest against all that keeps us in physical death, all that keeps us in darkness. Because of what God did by raising Jesus to new life allows us to believe that God will grace us with the gift of new life in his presence one day, to be where Jesus is. Our faith nourishes the hope that we will participate fully one day in Jesus’ resurrection. St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans: “Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus The Lord.” Not even death with its sense of darkness and finality. We are reminded in the Prayer for Christian Funerals: “We believe that all the ties of love, friendship and affection which bind us as one in this life will not unravel with death..” The resurrection of Christ from the dead by the Father’s love is our hope and pledge that death does not have the last word. We enter into God’s life more fully.
New life. New hope. New grace. New beginnings. New beauty. New rebirth. New love – all are metaphors for Easter. Look at nature at this time of year. What seemed dead and lifeless a couple of months ago is now blossoming into a flourish of new growth, colour and beauty. There is a freshness and renewal of life. We admire the awesomeness of creation. God is at work, sometimes unnoticed but always in a mysterious way. We meet the Risen Christ most fully in the Eucharist.
But how can we, personally in our own lives, experience something of the new life of resurrection which God gives us in Jesus? How can we notice resurrection moments in our lives so that we can feel a resurgence of God within us? Lets reflect.
When we admire sunrise and sunset and marvel at the colour of the sky: when music, poetry and art transform us: when we pray and know that God is near: when we stare at gently blowing leaves and admire free flying birds: when we allow the Eucharist we receive draw us close to Christ and move us to compassion: when we empathise with others in their illness and grief and bring comfort: when we walk in a forest, on the mountains, along the river banks or on the beach embracing the splendour of what we see. When we give and receive love: when we make a difference to others: When we stand by each other offering support and care: when we grieve with the bereaved: When we celebrate our lives in kindness of heart: When we yearn for God, the living God: when we light a candle in prayer for ourselves and for others: when we imitate the sacrificial love of Jesus: when we reconcile.
These are daily moments of resurrection, new life and new beginnings, moments of God’s graces. Resurrection – new life – is all around and within us.
Pope Francis said: “We proclaim the resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our lives for Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
May the light of the Risen Christ bring us hope, peace and healing within.
Fr. Tony.
The Hopes of Pope Francis for the future of the Church
464 Bishops, Priests, Religious and lay people have gathered in Rome for the month of October to take part in the Synod which is the most important happening in the Church since the 2nd Vatican Council. Of that number 81 are women and 54 of those are voting members.
Pope Francis seeks to bring a revived sense of mission to the Church, and many are hoping that new life will emerge as a result. The documents that will emerge at the end of the month are not the final word, the same people who attend the present gathering will meet again in October 2024, and the Pope is expected to respond to the documents in the months after.
One topic that will be addressed is the role of women in the Church and perhaps we might have women deacons in the years ahead. The Synod will address the role of all those of us who are Baptised and encourage us to become more active in the Church and in our Parishes. We all share in the common priesthood of the Baptised. This gathering is a culmination of the work that took place in our parish and the parishes of Ireland in 2022.
Ireland is represented by Alan McGuckian, Bishop of Raphoe, and Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick, his early years were spent as a child in the parish of St. Agnes.
PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD
We Stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life
And not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time,
In the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.