Reflecting on Easter, Pope Francis highlights the importance of ‘walking away from the tomb.’ Once found, faith must be lived.
As Saint Peter said, ‘we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people.’ Easter is, in a sense, the starting point of our Christian responsibilities.
Living the Easter mystery means becoming a joyful Easter people.
We must, therefore, be open to action and change. We cannot become stuck in our ways, crippled by doubt, despair or habit. As Pope Francis says, Easter shows us that ‘it is always possible to begin anew, because there is always a new life that God can awaken in us in spite of all our failures.’
The annual celebration of Easter reminds us that what we celebrate is present here and now. Ours is a living faith. As the Pope adds, ‘faith is not an album of past memories; Jesus is not outdated. He is alive here and now.’ Easter is a celebration of the mystery that Jesus is present. He is here, in both the needy of the world and through the actions of His followers.
So, having celebrated the mystery, we are sent forth to live it. ‘Having made himself present in the heart of our world,’ the Pope points out, Jesus ‘invites us to overcome barriers, banish prejudices and draw near to those around us every day in order to rediscover the grace of everyday life.’
© Nick Brodie
Read more from the here Parish Bulletin Easter Sunday_31.03.2024
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