Bishops reflect on Easter meaning, the call to respond

Hamilton Bishop Richard Laurenson said that “through his death and Resurrection, the Christ of God shatters the chains of death, and offers us the promise of immortality”.

He mentioned the new Catholics entering the Church at Easter who “are committing their lives to the Lord in faith, in hope, in love”, and asked readers of his message “to show them how we follow Christ more closely each day”.

“Join with them in small groups and study groups, so that they do not feel abandoned as they come off the natural high we all get when doing something significant in our lives,” he wrote. 

Bishop Laurenson suggested people make an inventory of their parish and maybe start something new to help accomplish Christ’s mission.

Wellington Archbishop Paul Martin SM also noted the number of people entering the Church at Easter this year, and gave thanks to God for the movement of the Spirit in their lives.

Archbishop Martin recalled “the responsibility that we have one another to support each other in faith as we live our lives”. He asked people to reflect on the beautiful readings of Easter time, which speak “of the life and work of the Spirit, of the community that grows and the encouragement that Jesus Christ gives us. . . .”

Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen acknowledged the many troubles and challenges in today’s world, adding that a young person recently told him that the world seems like a “dumpster fire” – a phrase designed to mean a world in total disarray.

At the same time, “we are people of the Resurrection”, Bishop Gielen said. He recalled the disciples gathered in the upper room out of fear, and Jesus appearing and saying “peace be with you”. The bishop also suggested that people look to St Francis of Assisi, a “beautiful man of peace”, in this jubilee year marking 800 years since the saint’s death.

Bishop Gielen continued: “So I pray that for all of you, especially for any young person watching this, who senses despair, who sense that the rubbish tip is on fire, there is more and Jesus can bring resurrection and hope. Remember, he has won the prize and we just have to claim it. He is risen, claim that hope!!”

In a Facebook video message, Auckland Bishop Steve Lowe reflected on the nothingness of the empty tomb that confronted three disciples on the first Easter morning and their reactions.

“Faith asks us to step beyond the expected, to step beyond our explanations and just believe,” Bishop Lowe said.

“And often we have to believe in the midst of nothingness. When we bury a loved one, all we can do is trust and believe. When we pray for something, and we don’t seem to get an answer, all we can do is trust and believe.

“Our world likes explanations, it likes things that can be seen, but throughout the world at the moment, more and more people are turning to faith, because the explanations of the world are not resonating with the truth we seek deep in our heart. The things we see in the world, we know are not the way things should be. Jesus is our way, our truth and our life.”

Bishops John Adams and Michael Dooley published their Easter messages in the days leading up to the Triduum, as reported in CathNews New Zealand last week.

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Easter message from Bishop Richard (Catholic Diocese of Hamilton)

Archbishop Paul Martin SM Easter video (Archdiocese of Wellington/Facebook)

Bishop Michael Gielen Easter video (Catholic Diocese of Christchurch/Facebook)

Bishop Steve Lowe Easter Sunday (Bishop Steve Lowe/Facebook)