Alleluia, Alleluia! The Lord has truly risen!

Holy Week is always something of an emotional and spiritual roller-coaster ride. From Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to the bitter-sweet solemnity of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, to the mournful commemoration of Jesus’ Passion on Good Friday, the silence of Holy Saturday and finally the eruption of jubilation of the Risen Christ at the Easter Vigil. The liturgy guides the faithful along this spiritual journey with its highs and lows, so that we can experience a sense of the awe and wonder of those first witnesses to Jesus’ Passion, death and Resurrection. Two thousand years after these extraordinary events transpired we come to experience them with a vividness and freshness that continues to move hearts, awaken consciences, and open our eyes to the vision of faith in Jesus Christ.

One of the earliest Fathers of the Church was St Ignatius of Antioch (ca. A.D. 35- ca. 107). He was the second (or possibly third) bishop of Antioch where, as St Luke tells us, the followers of Christ were first called ‘Christians’ (Acts 11:26). Ignatius of Antioch knew St John the Apostle personally and so his faith can be seen to burn with the fervour of apostolic zeal of one utterly convinced by what Christianity professed. In his letters to the various churches he insists upon the literal reality of our faith in Christ’s resurrection from the dead.  For example, in his letter to the Trallians (written while on route to Rome knowing he was going to be fed to the lions), Ignatius impresses upon the Christian faithful that Jesus Christ “was truly born, and ate and drank. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was trulycrucified, and truly died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was also truly raised from the dead!” (Letter to the Trallians). The repetition of the word “truly” here has a clear rhetorical effect. Ours is not a religion of fables and fairy tales: It is real and true, and therefore the consequences for us are also real and true. In the Epistle of the Easter Vigil St Paul explains that Jesus’ death and resurrection establishes the pattern for the entire Christian life:

If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a Christian dies, of course, he has finished with sin. But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. …and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 6:5-11)

We can never be mere passive spectators to the mystery of our redemption, because it is our own redemption that we celebrate each Easter. The ‘full and active participation’ of the faithful in the liturgy called for by the Second Vatican Council (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 15) is first and foremost concerned with engaging the hearts, minds and souls of the faithful, to understand what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. As the eminent liturgist Louis Boyer explained “participation in the liturgy is the reception of sacramental grace through a living faith illumined and enflamed by the liturgy itself.” If we are wholly disengaged from the liturgical prayer of the Church then our attendance at these ceremonies will profit us little. We may be momentarily entertained or occupied, but the proof of our ‘full and active participation’ is that we are strengthened in our faith and commitment to live a life of holiness as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Water poured on a stone will wet the stone briefly but not penetrate it; it quickly dries out. Water poured onto rich soil will immediately be absorbed and retained, and can therefore bring forth new growth. So too, the graces which gush forth in the Church’s liturgical celebrations need to be received if they are to produce new spiritual growth for us as Christians. Our faith in the risen Christ is necessarily deeply personal, however, the magnitude of what is accomplished through the Paschal mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection also demands a public and communal celebration of the whole Church. The liturgical proclamation of the ‘Alleluia’ at Easter gives voice to the faith of the whole Body of Christ who proclaims anew Jesus’ bodily resurrection, as a celebration of our own restoration. Jesus’ victory over Satan, death and sin is our victory. Through the grace of spiritual regeneration in baptism we come to share in Christ’s risen life, enabling us to live in a state of grace in this world and preparing us for eternal life in the world to come.

I take this opportunity to thank the cast of hundreds who helped in the preparation and celebration of our Holy Week liturgies, especially our sacristans, Joy Bellizia, Molly Field,  Gina Lim, Brenda De Losa and Mary Dowling; organist, Baltazar Kurowski and the choir under the direction of Amanda Burow; our servers under the direction of Ezekiel Hangan; Clara de Iulio, the Prescott and the Hanley families for providing flowers for each of the churches; Michael Pettinella and Anne Lehman who provided palms for Palm Sunday; Barry Kearney for assisting with photography and updating the new parish website; and all those who helped with odd jobs in setting up behind the scenes. Special thanks to the parish secretary, Stephanie Johnson for her long hours (and tireless patience with me!) in these last weeks. Finally, a special thanks to Fr Michael Anghel for leading the Good Friday Passion at St Brigid’s Healesville.

I wish you and your families a blessed, safe and joyous Easter!