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Geelong Deanery |
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Easter in the Year of the Great Jubilee
To the question ‘What is Easter?’, the first response usually from those in Prep grade is the ‘Easter bunny’ or ‘Easter eggs’. Having grown up in a farming area during the drought years of the 1940s, where the rabbit was the number one pest, the idea of the Easter bunny leaves me cold. However, being partial to chocolate, Easter eggs are far more acceptable as a sign and celebration of our new life in Christ, which is of course the real meaning of Easter. This Great Jubilee Year, which celebrates the coming of Jesus amongst us 2000 years ago, gives us an added reason to celebrate Easter this year. During the Great Jubilee the call of Pope John Paul II to ongoing conversion directs us to focus more on Jesus and to come to a deeper appreciation of Him and His great love for us. Jubilee spirituality provides the way to respond to Jesus and His great love, and thereby deepen our relationship with Him. The key elements of Jubilee spirituality are: Fallowtime – In the hectic pace of modern life, with all its stress, we learn again that we need to find space for God, for recreation and for the community. Forgiveness – We live in a punitive society where the call is to lock more and more people in gaol. We need, with God’s help, to let go of past hurts and animosities and free people from guilt by forgiveness. Lack of forgiveness is a huge barrier to growing close to God – who cannot forgive us if our hearts are closed against our brothers and sisters. Freedom – We need to set free ourselves and others who are oppressed by structures, either of the civil society or the Church, or are caught in addictions such as gambling, alcohol, drugs or sexual deviations. Justice – The righting of wrongs, so that all are treated with the dignity they have as sons and daughters of God. Pope John Paul has emphasised that the demands of social justice are central to the Jubilee message expressed by Jesus in chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel. The Pope constantly reiterates that the message of justice is central to the mission of the Church. Forgiveness, freedom and justice are fruits of the Resurrection of Jesus, which is the sign to us of Jesus’ victory over death, of goodness demolishing evil, love vanquishing hate, peace dissolving war, hope overcoming despair, faith defeating doubt, justice rising over injustice, freedom banishing fear and slavery. May the Risen Jesus who lives in us bless all of us abundantly this Easter so that we can truly appreciate and accept the riches He offers us. Fr Mick Fitzpatrick, Deanery Co-ordinator |
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