Easter Message 2025

My mother was fifteen years dead on April 15^th. Her death was sudden and unexpected, particularly when I think of dad’s. When those we love die, years tend to morph into one another, you forget the number of years. Fifteen years is but a twinkling of an eye.

There is a line in Luke’s Easter Vigil gospel that captures this beautifully, as it takes our focus from the grave, from the tombstone: “why look among the dead for someone who is alive?” Those we love and lose to death are alive in Christ and are alive in our hearts.

The three days of Holy Thursday , Good Friday and Holy Saturday are essentially one liturgy lasting three days. Holy Thursday begins but doesn’t end. Good Friday picks up the themes but leaves us at Golgotha while on Holy Saturday we wait at a tomb, waiting for the dawn to break, waiting for the tomb to be cracked open.

The Triduum is three days in one. Easter is fifty days in one. Let’s make the most of these fifty days and feel the life of Christ fully alive among us.

I am very conscious of the great work done across all our parishes to unpack the Easter story. I thank priests and people who do so much to make these days special. As the hymn prays:

“Christ is alive, with joy we sing,

We celebrate our risen Lord,

Praising the glory of his name.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”

Blessings to all as we celebrate the life of Christ and the life of all we’ve lost to death. Happy Easter!

+Denis