Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR A EASTER - 27.3.05 Acts 10,34.37-43; Col 3,1-4; Jn 20,1-9 Christ is Risen!... no matter what A
message for you & me: now.
Christian authors have rightly said that the message of Easter cannot be written
in the past tense. It is a message for today and the days to come. It’s
God’s message, it’s ‘ever-present’ and re-echoes forever in the
‘now’ of our life. At Church today, we re-live the surprise of the early Christians as we
sing: “the Lord is Risen indeed”. Truly, our Risen Lord, lives with us &
gives meaning to our life; truly He creates anew & keeps ‘alive’ the
energy of God’s family. Because of Easter, at all our Liturgies, we name &
acknowledge, express & celebrate the marvel that the Lord has done by dying
& rising for us: He is with us now, until the end of time. Because of
Easter, there is a meaning to our life, death & resurrection: we are
empowered to live with dignity & choose to be a caring family, united &
energized by the spirit of the Lord. In our parish of Arcadia, over 200 people are involved in one or other
of our daily or weekly gatherings, functions & ministries: Morning Mass at
Monastery Chapel (20), our Parish Groups: Lenten (56) - Prayer (34) - Rosary
(18) - Adoration (7) - Elderly (7). Our Catechists, Sacramental Programme (33)
& Pastoral Teams: Office (4) - Council (6) - Finance (5) - Liturgy (4)-
Music (16) - Children (9) - Children’ Mass (16) - Cleaning, Flowers, Roses
& Morning Tea (11). All rostered ministers: servers, readers, counters, sick
(48). Thank you to all: to those who for years have been & are backbone for
our community, helping at our Fete, functions & needs; and at the
Monastery... & to any I may have missed? To one & all: - young &
over - from diverse cultures & walks of life -, may I say: God bless you for
your time, talent & generosity: the Risen Lord is with us. A
share in the Lord’s power: Easter
reminds us that life -for all its challenges & in spite of all hurts- is
precious, is a gift, is worth living, because the Risen Lord is in our midst
& in our hearts; in our families & Church. Our human condition brings a
mix of struggles & joys. At Easter, we learn from the crucified & risen
Lord: we lean on his love - put on the power of His death & resurrection -
and proclaim the cross of Christ, in the way we live, love & serve one
another, even in the darkest hour & loneliest place. The miracle of Easter
teaches us to believe in, & trust in, our Crucified & Risen Lord, no
matter what. Yes, when we face suffering, we can still stand strong in the
conviction that there is life & hope beyond pain, hurt, heartache & even
death: such is the power of the resurrection. For those who really believe,
every Good Friday is followed by Easter Sunday. So, when we are caught in a web
of misunderstanding, rejection, betrayal, or even when all hopes seem to be
smashed to pieces, we can still choose to stay caring, keep trying, ward off
temptations to become destructive, continue to pray & trust: again,
such is the power of resurrection. In short, nothing can destroy us: no pain, no
rejection, no hurt, not even death. In this Year of the Eucharist, the strong
command of Jesus inspires us: ‘If I, Lord & Master, have given you an
example, you too must wash one another’s feet. My Easter prayer is that, contemplating our Crucified & Risen Lord,
we look forward to the future with hope - continue to walk together - give space
& time for our different giftedness to emerge - are proud & supportive
of one another - and especially try to meet the needs of those among us who are
hurting, caught in a sea of spiritual as well as physical, emptiness. Let me say
thank you in anticipation to one & all for the generosity towards Holy Land
& Holy Places and towards Project Compassion. Happy Easter!. ______________________________________ |
