2024 EASTER MESSAGE

My family in Christ,

The Lord has risen from the dead, as he said. Let us exult and rejoice, for he reigns for all eternity, ALLELUIA.
 
At Easter, we celebrate Jesus risen from the dead and we sing with gusto, “Alleluia”.  Our faith tells us that it happened and yet do our lives truly reflect the resurrection?

Jesus rose from the dead, death does not have the last word in His life nor ours.  But we don’t have to wait until we are dead to experience what resurrection actually means or can mean in the here and now.

There is no need for believers to live their lives on earth as if they are already dead.  We are supposed to reflect on the outside what we believe on the inside.  If Jesus’ death and resurrection are ever going to change us, then we need to live our lives accordingly.

His resurrection continually reminds us that there is much more to each of us than meets the eye and that our souls are immortal. Our bodies will decay or turn to dust, but our souls will forever live with God.

We therefore must live with a purpose in this life so that we can prepare for the new life to come.  To live without purpose is to live in virtual non-existence.  We will inevitably run into an obstacle that can sink us and none of us wants to end up at the bottom.

As I reflect upon this parish I serve, As a person of faith, I, like you, have had challenges that have come my way.  No one can escape these challenges in one form or another, but what must keep us focused is the promise of a glorious future precisely because the Lord charts a way forward if we remain close to Him. 
What are the obstacles in our lives to believing in this kind of future?  What is holding us back?  Why isn’t our “Alleluia” at Easter like the kind of roar that is heard by a crowd at Junkanoo on Boxing Day or New Year’s morning?  Such is the cheer that has the ability to capture on the outside what we feel on the inside.

The time is right, if not overdue, for the parish, which is all of us, to go back to the basics of our faith and focus on Jesus.  We must “live him and breathe him” in season and out of season because if we really know him, we will never be alone.
Once we authentically know him, which is different to knowing about him, the joy in our lives that may have been there before will come alive again.
It’s the kind of joy required in our Easter Alleluias this Easter – a joy in living out authentically the Gospel. Reminding us that our joy in believing is a powerful force, impelling us to want to go out and share the good news with others.
So as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, his victory on behalf of us all, over death, let us renew that joy which surely lies at the heart of the Christian message with a cry that sums up the whole of that message – the whole of our lives – and that response must be: “Alleluia”.

At the Easter Vigil, we warmly welcome 3 new Catholics into our parish family. Christian Initiation is an ongoing process in our parish community. We look forward to walking with you on this journey of faith. I pray that you and your loved ones have a blessed Easter!  When you come before the Lord, please pray for the pastoral team and for our staff who serve our parish. Know that we will pray for you, your loved ones, and your intentions. We may not see each other each day, but may we meet each day in our prayers!

In Christ,
Fr. Noel Clarke, Parish Priest