Here, on this ancient site, in a quarry beneath a green, mossy hillock, just outside the walls of the ancient city, the Saviour of the world gave His life as a ransom for many and on the third day, rose from the dead. He came to announce. There has always been speculation as to what actually took place in the early hours of the first Easter morning. The central mystery of the Christian church requires of us an act of faith in the power of the unseen God, who continues His mighty acts in us and through us, who in Christ are called to be chosen instruments of His grace, charged with the task of sharing that faith with our fellow human beings throughout the world. The Christian mystery of the resurrection is given its communal expression in the celebration of the liturgy and the proclamation of the Word.
Faith leads to hope and then to love.
If we have faith in the risen Christ, our hope in the future is secured and we are enabled to live together in love. There is immense comfort in these words, especially when we get down-hearted and are tempted to think that all our efforts seem to have been in vain. WE are understandably discouraged by much that we see around us, but only if we don t take a firm hold on the central mystery of our faith, which is in Christ crucified and raised from the dead. For those communities of faith who have been involved in the catechumenal process over these past months, may the Easter season be a time of renewal of faith, as new Christians are received into the Body of Christ, through baptism. May God bless and renew you this joyful Easter season.