Easter at war - but hope for everyone

Sydney
20 April 2003

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Easter at war - but hope for everyone

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Easter at war - but hope for everyone

Easter message by the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr George Pell

We celebrate this Easter with our nation still at war in Iraq.

The Australian military involvement is small and our personal suffering - we have few reported casualties so far - is nothing in comparison with the soldiers and civilians killed and wounded on the battlefields.

Victory is certain, but thousands are dead.

Once again we have to recognise the world is not the way we would like it.

The cosmic flaw that also runs through the human heart confronts us.

There have always been wars.

As weapons of mass destruction become more and more available to lawless nations, tribes and even fanatical individuals, what grim future lies ahead?

Such a world, our world, needs a redeemer.

But, a sceptic might claim, if Christ has redeemed the world he hasn’t done a very good job.

How is Christ a redeemer?

The first plank in our claim recognises that Christ suffered, too.

He lived in our mess, in a society much closer to Saddam’s fascist regime of poverty, violence and injustice than ours.

Most Australians don’t know too much about their distant ancestors. We know a lot about Jesus’ ancestors, many of whom were crude, passionate and thoroughly disreputable people.

Even the great King David was a man of intrigue and violence; successful intrigue and violence.

God has often used evil and muddle for his purposes.

History and the world today show that Christ’s redemption is incomplete.

But this is only the first part of the action. We believe Christ will return at the end of time, not to take vengeance on his persecutors, but to offer forgiveness for those who repent.

The possibility of Godly forgiveness is a fruit of the Son of God’s redeeming activity, a major cause for our hope.

Christians also believe good can come from suffering and, in fact, that Christ redeemed us through his failure and rejection, his suffering and death, not in spite of them.

As followers of Christ we are called to be agents in completing the redemption, using our failures as well as our successes.

Christ was crucified between two thieves. One repented and was offered eternal life. We should make his prayer to Christ our own. “Remember me when you come into your kingdom”.

There is hope for each and everyone of us.

Easter peace to all.