"Life imbued with deep hope - openness to God"

At the Easter Vigil, our life is imbued with deep hope.  It is a hope that in Christ we find a purpose and a meaning in life - a belief that the closing of the eyes in death is not the end but rather a passing into the life of God.  "Trust in God still, trust in me" were resonate words on the lips of Jesus.  It is this hope that the resurrection of Jesus gives to life and to living.

To experience this hope we need, like Peter, to have an openness to God.  Peter denied the Lord but found forgiveness. He had confronted his own failings but came away with a deep trust in Jesus.

The temptation to close the heart and mind to God is ever present.  How easy it is to construct our own golden calf as the Jews did in the desert when they lost hope! What we celebrate tonight is a faith in the Risen Lord that invites us to see life in a totally different way, the way that ultimately leads to eternal life, leading us to God.

 

 

 

Bishop Smith baptised baby Joseph Padraig and (top photo) and baby Abbey Rose (above)
during the Easter Vigil in the Cathedral of Christ the King