As we celebrate Easter, we can all look forward to receiving Christ’s Spirit, enabling us to draw on his courage, his fidelity and his commitment in the events of our daily lives, writes Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB.
My recent installation as the new Catholic Archbishop of Perth was a deeply moving occasion for me and, I suspect, for many others as well.
One of the things which struck me very forcibly was the extraordinary generosity and commitment of so many people who worked together to make the event the success it was.
Generosity and commitment are two qualities which are universally admired.
We would all like to be thought of as people of this kind, even if we have a sneaking suspicion that we actually still have a long way to go.
Indeed, human experience teaches that for most of us there is quite a gap between our ideals and the reality of our lives.
However, as long as we keep our ideals alive and keep on trying to reach them, we are able to live with a sense of hope.
For Christians, this hope is grounded in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Certainly, his life of generosity, self-sacrifice, compassion and love provides us with an inspiring example.
His willingness to remain faithful to his ideals even in the face of death confirms his courage and fidelity.
But good example alone is not enough.
In fact, it may even be a source of discouragement as we realise how often we fail to follow this example in our lives. It is easy to give up in despair.
It is the resurrection of Jesus which gives solid ground to our hope. Jesus is not just a great figure from the past: he is alive and with us today. This is what the resurrection means.
Through his presence in our lives, we can draw on his courage, fidelity and commitment when our own fails.
He accompanies us in our journey through life and strengthens us with his grace.
May the Spirit of Jesus fill you and your loved ones as we celebrate the great feast of Easter.