Church in action reveals love to all, says Archbishop Fisher in powerful Easter message

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Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has highlighted the Catholic Church’s works of mercy through its hospitals, schools and welfare agencies in his Easter message as signs of Christ’s resurrection for all.

In the video message released today, the archbishop said that millions of Australians encounter Christ daily through the various good works of the Church.

“Every day millions of Australians encounter Christ and the Church—in the worship and pastoral care in our parishes, in the teaching and learning in Catholic schools and universities, in the care delivered in Catholic hospitals, aged care homes and hospices, in our campaigns on behalf of Indigenous, refugees and victims of modern slavery, in the work of CatholicCare and St Vincent de Paul serving the needy, and support for the homeless in communities such as David’s Place,” he said.

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“All these are works of Easter.

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“All are professions of faith in the human person made for greatness and in the God who saves them; all are professions of hope, that ours can be a community of reverence and care; all are declarations of love, especially for the weak and powerless.”

The video includes candid footage illustrating the many contact points of the Church with ordinary Australians such as a university graduation ceremony and a woman in a hospital bed being comforted by a religious sister.

The archbishop was filmed praying in his chapel and on a bench in Sydney’s Hyde Park, and said that while his relationship with God is the foundation of his “every word and deed” he would not pretend that the Christian life is always easy.

“Sometimes it’s hard to be a Catholic,” he said.

“After a long Lent we cry out for Easter, after interminable darkness we crave the light,” he said.

“By these works of mercy, more than our words, will people judge that we are serious, whether we really believe in the resurrection, whether Easter is for us and them.”

Thousands of Sydney Catholics are expected to attend Triduum and Easter Day services at St Mary’s Cathedral.