An Easter Message
Jesus Christ was crucified in Jerusalem on a Friday around the time of the Passover festival that year. His body was quickly buried before nightfall so that Sabbath obligations could be kept.
Early on the Sunday morning some of his followers went to the tomb to complete the Jewish burial rituals but were shocked to find that the tomb was empty and the body was missing. Strange rumours then began to spread claiming that he was alive, and that he had been seen by his friends. The same people who had ordered the execution of Jesus now turned their attention to his followers, but these followers were so convinced that Jesus was still alive with some form of transformed life that they refused to renounce this belief, even in the face of beatings, imprisonment, and death itself.
Despite the best efforts of powerful leaders at the time the missing body, which would instantly end such speculation, was never found.
Christianity is always within just one generation of extinction. All it would take would be for a whole generation to be unconvinced by the Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus and Christianity would be consigned to the files of past religions. Significantly, this has never happened.
For almost 2,000 years some have always been convinced by the Easter message and have grown to love and honour Jesus as their living Lord. When St Paul spoke of the resurrection of the body to the Greek philosophers in ancient Athens they hooted with laughter, as so many others have done in every age.
But for those who find they do accept the story of that first Easter, life is transformed and the world appears, in the words of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, to be “charged” with the grandeur of God. Happy Easter to you all!
A special welcome to visitors to our city. May your time here in Auckland include a visit to our beautiful and historic Cathedral. We are located in Wyndham Street just up from Queen Street, one block seawards of the Sky Tower.
It is a very special place; a wonderful place of worship that the Catholics of Auckland can be proud of. It is a sacred place where all are welcome to visit, pray and experience peace.
A place of prayer. God's house. An icon of Christ. Our Mother Church. Bishop Patrick Dunn