The Easter message joyfully proclaims that “Jesus Christ is Risen”, so our joy overflows with this hope that Christ has given us. We pray with the grace of the fourth week of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, begging for the gift of being able to enter the joy and consolation of Jesus in the victory of his risen life.

Like good news the Risen Christ brings us hope and new life. Over the past twelve months we have witnessed the contagion of COVID-19 and the suffering and death it has brought to our world.  Today our thoughts go out to the whole of humanity, especially those directly affected by the coronavirus, the sick and those who have died and family members who mourn the loss of their loved ones. May the Lord of life welcome the departed into his kingdom and grant comfort and hope to those still suffering, especially the elderly and those who live alone.

We are reminded this Easter that this is not a time for indifference, because we are all suffering, and we seek unity. It is not a time to be self-centred because the challenge is shared by all peoples. It is not a time for divisions, but a time for reconciliation, between warring parties, the rich and poor and opposing ideologies. It is not a time for forgetfulness, we remember those who cannot afford the resources necessary to face our current difficulties.

When fear and death confront us, we tend to exclude the Lord Jesus from our hearts and lives, turning our backs with cold indifference. This Easter may Christ who has defeated death open our hearts to the salvation and hope the Resurrection offers us. Christ is alive! He is our hope and the bearer of new life, to the entire world. This Easter may we let ourselves be renewed by Him. Happy Easter!

Ian Cribb SJ
Provincial Delegate, Jesuit and Ignatian Spirituality Australia