Easter Message – April 2026

Alleluia

It may be difficult for many people to sense that Easter Joy this year – so much war and destruction, financial and political issues as well as the weight of whatever worries or concerns each one of us carries. Our capacity for communication is such that we can be overwhelmed by the darkness that so often assails us. But this is, as it always has been. I say that not in despair but in hope.

The world in which Jesus immersed himself was one full of enmity and violence too. And into this chaos he breathes his message…. ‘the Kingdom of God is close at hand’.…peace be with you. The response of the powerbrokers of the time, as it too often was, torture and execution. All seemed lost, wasted. But NOTHING is ever wasted in our pilgrimage with God. Nothing was wasted in Jesus’ passion and death. His resurrection is our reassurance too, that the Kingdom of God is always close at hand – that we can have peace, peace even in the shadows of life.

As disciples of Jesus we are invited to live in a unique and privileged way – to live within that peace that seeks constantly to live within us. That is the message of the Eucharist, that is the message of Easter. May we allow the peace of the Risen Jesus to dwell in us this Easter season and may we live in that peace with one another.

Peace be with you.

Fr Pat