EASTER SUNDAY

Calendar - Octave of Easter

'If Christ be not risen then is our preaching and our teaching in vain' 1Cor 15:14

Saint Paul wrote these words and it was this understanding of the message of the Gospels that drove him to preach Christ and the message of hope everywhere he was able to go.

With the same urgency the Church speaks today and it is this same faith that inspires each of us. The words 'Jesus is risen from the tomb' was on the lips of the women going in search of the disciples and their words are as earth-shattering now as the moment those women first uttered them.

Joys of Easter to everyone!

A Message from the Cardinal

In a letter to us this week we have been told the Cardinal will visit Saint Theodore's on Saturday 20th October and celebrate the Mass at 6.00pm.

The Cardinal sends his good wishes for our celebrations for the eighty years since the parish's foundation and the twenty years since the new church's consecration. Fr. Bernard

A reflection for Easter Sunday's Gospel
The significance of the event?

The Catholic martyrs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries died fighting for religious freedom. What was the point of their sacrifice if we don't exercise our religious freedom today?

The suffragettes fought for our political freedom. What was the point of their sacrifice if we don't use our votes to make the world a fairer and safer place for all? Our grandparents and great grandparents fought for our way of life. What was the point of their sacrifice if we don't cherish our liberty? Jesus died and rose again on the third day to give us a clean slate, and to liberate us from death. What was the point if we don't live our lives differently as a result?

Because we are not told how Jesus left the tomb or how exactly the stone was rolled away, we tend to get bogged down at this time of year with questions of proof. It's as though we feel that we've been cheated out of part of the story, and because the explanation is missing we are forced to play amateur sleuth. The mechanics of the story takes our minds off the real importance of the Resurrection. The real point is, that by rising Jesus has given us real purpose and everlasting life. Whatever parts of us are stuck in grief or anxiety or pain or worry. . . today the risen Jesus makes known his Kingdom of truth, love, peace, second chances and new beginnings.

'The Gospels do not explain the resurrection. The Resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the Resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian Faith; It is the Christian Faith' J.S. Whale

LAUNCH OF THE NEW WEB-SITE

As part of marking our '80 years' another initiative happening is a re-launch of our web-site. There will only be a proportion of the parishioners interested in this project but for those to whom the internet is part of daily life then the industry that goes into building a web-site will be properly appreciated. The word 'launch' is exactly right and it will take a little time to 'fit-out' the web-site ship post launch.

Comments please most welcome.