Pastoral Letters and Messages
Message of Archbishop Denis Hart for Easter 2008

‘Jesus has risen.  He is not here.  He is going before you to Galilee.  There you will see him as he told you.’

Easter is a passage through suffering and death to life, a glimpse of the final destiny offered to every human being.

We are deeply conscious of the suffering of our near neighbours in East Timor, of families losing their homes and life savings, of the struggles of individuals, of the loneliness of people, young and old.  The whole dynamic of Easter invites us courageously to go forward, to follow Jesus and to see him.

A modern society, which demands instantaneous satisfaction and pleasure pays too little store on perseverance and vision. 

Easter invites us to follow Jesus through truth, justice and love, to use our gifts to witness to the Risen One and to share fully in the life and hope he offers.  By knowing that Jesus is risen, courageously we put aside fear and keep living our own personal journey until we are where Jesus awaits us.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.