Mission Report – March 28, 2018

This term seems to have come to a close quicker than most. Though I am sure that many are pleased that a holiday is upon us, there is also the risk that the great festival of Easter may come and go just as quickly as the term. This would be a major oversight and one to be avoided at all cost.

Easter takes us through the whole range of human experiences. In the Passion of Jesus we encounter the suffering of the innocent, the corruption of the state and the violence of mob rule. There is the despair of the cross that appears at first to result in the victory of death and evil over the plans of God. These emotions are not foreign to the modern world as we still encounter human selfishness and fear that strikes out in ignorance and malice.

Above all this however, on Easter Sunday, is the Resurrection -“ and we are a community that lives in the light and gift of Christ’s victory over every form of evil and despair.

Christ truly rose again! This certainty of faith is the foundation of our hope. It confirms that Jesus really is the Son of God, that his words are reliable and true, that he has the power to forgive sins, and that he died for us, indeed, for me. Because Christ has risen, he remains present in his Word, in the communion of the Church, in the poor, and the afflicted, in his sacraments, in the priests, and in most especially in the Eucharist: Christ is in you, the hope of glory. (Schönborn, 1995)

This Easter-¦

-¢ Take the time to read the Passion Narrative in the Gospel of Luke.

-¢ Spend time contemplating Christ on the Cross, and ask him, in what ways do I show my gratitude for the gift of eternal life?

-¢ Engage with family and friends in the joy that we are united through Christ

– -¢ Undertake the great task of forgiveness to resolve a long standing dispute

And finally, have a grace-filled two weeks and return safely for Term Two.