Wednesday, 28 March 2018
from the National Council of Churches in Australia
Chiara Lubich, wonderful Founder of the Focolare Movement, speaks of "Jesus forsaken" and "Jesus in our midst".
These two phrases convey the Pascal mystery.
God amongst us, born of Mary, endures the humiliation and suffering of the Cross.
It is relentlessly strange. This is the One who was in the world, through whom we have our very being, but whom many seem neither to know as our Incarnate God, nor to give their acceptance. (John 1:10-11).
Yet too, we know how hereafter many suffering people have found that the Cross of Jesus gives interpretation and meaning to their lives.
Why? Because "Jesus forsaken" is also, through the Resurrection, "Jesus in our midst".
As the French Carol conveys, "love is come again, so that when our hearts are bleak, grieving or in pain, Jesus touch can call us back to life again."
How beautiful and necessary is our Easter faith, source of unquenchable hope!
With the saints we can thus exuberantly proclaim: "We are an Easter people and alleluia is our song"!
As we all know, in terms of renewing hope in our community, there is much to be done. Let us pray for one another at our various Easter Services this year, "Jesus in our midst".
Bishop Philip Huggins, President
National Council of Churches in Australia
The 10 messages follow.
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