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Jesus overcomes every darkness, Archbishop tells those celebrating Easter

Sydney Catholics have celebrated the message of Jesus Christ's Resurrection in big numbers across the Archdiocese this Easter. They also welcomed new brothers and sisters who have encountered the Church and found the meaning of their lives in Jesus ...

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Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP lights a candle from the Easter fire outside St Mary’s Cathedral at the commencement of the Easter Vigil Mass celebrating Jesus Christ’s resurrection. All photos: Giovanni Portelli

Whatever crises we face in life, the risen Jesus can heal these if only we put our faith in Him, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP told a crowded St Mary’s Cathedral on Easter Sunday morning.

The cathedral was filled with nearly 1600 worshippers sitting either in the main nave or – as in similar ceremonies throughout the Easter Triduum – watching on television screens from the Crypt below the floor of the main aisle or from outside the cathedral on a fine autumn morning.

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Easter Vigil gallery

The previous evening almost 1000 people attended the Vigil Mass celebrating Christ’s resurrection.

Candles born by members of the congregation illuminate the interior of St Mary’s Cathedral at the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday evening. All photos: Giovanni Portelli

Individuals become Catholics

Sydney woman Belinda Hedges was baptised and confirmed by Archbishop Anthony Fisher during the Vigil Mass as she entered the Church, later receiving her First Holy Communion in a ceremony, which had earlier seen the darkened cathedral flooded with candlelight from candles held by worshippers as a symbol of their faith in the light of the Resurrection.

Ms Hedges chose the baptismal names of Ambrose and Elizabeth for her reception into the Church.

She was one of around 160 individuals received into the Church in parishes across the Archdiocese this Easter.

Gallery: Belinda chooses the Church

A big Easter at Auburn

At St John of God Parish in Auburn, six people were baptised, eight received their First Holy Communion and Confirmation and one received the Sacrament of Confirmation – 15 in all.

At St Mary’s, both the Vigil and Easter Sunday attendances continued the trend of large numbers of worshippers returning to Easter services following more than a year of lockdowns and harsh restrictions, especially on churches and places of worship by governments and health authorities.

“God loves us so much, that whatever our own crises of faith, hope and love these can be faced, healed and transcended by His grace. Come out of the tomb with me, Jesus says to all humanity today, Rise up to everlasting life and love!,” the Archbishop reminded worshippers on Easter Sunday morning.

Easter joy: a man wearing a t-shirt carrying the words ‘He’s Risen’ referring to Christ’s resurrection, holds one of the Easter eggs distributed to worshippers by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and cathedral clergy following Easter Sunday morning Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral.

The Resurrection trumps all crises

His homily continued the theme of crisis and apparent crisis throughout the world over the last year, which he referred to in his homilies for Good Friday’s Commemoration of the Passion and the Easter Vigil.

However, he reminded the crowds flocking to services and masses at the Cathedral, the various crises of faith, hope and love that Easter represents are all resolved and turned into something new by Christ’s victory over death and sin in His Resurrection.

In fact, Easter represents the greatest love story ever told – that between God and human beings, he said on Sunday morning.

Family members hold candles symbolising the light of Christ’s resurrection at the Vigil Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral.

A cosmos just for us – and God

God had created the entire cosmos for humanity, “for us to live and learn in, play and delight in, a universe in which to be lovers and beloved, God’s darlings. This same divine obsession holds us in being every moment of our existence,” he said.

However, humanity’s rejection of God’s will had changed everything, he said.

“The crisis in the Kingdom of God, a crisis of all humanity, is that we turned against the very love that creates and sustains us. This fall from grace has been a recurrent pattern ever since, so that there’s nothing original about sin anymore. Recent campaigns have focused our attention on systemic racism and sexual violence. But pride, envy, lust, brutality and selfishness have dogged our history. Almost from the beginning there were elements of tragedy in this love story.”

St Mary’s Cathedral is lit by candelight as the Easter Vigil Mass commences on Saturday evening.

‘Only divine love can do this’

Human beings had become both victims and perpetrators in a world fallen from knowing God.

Only a divine love could persist in the face of humanity’s indifference and rejection to the point of killing God’s Son, he noted, while the experience of the Resurrection by the holy women and the apostles proved the eternal truth and relevance of God’s love.

Following Sunday morning’s Mass, Archbishop Fisher was joined by cathedral clergy in distributing Easter eggs to everyone – with a special focus on the young.

With the conclusion of Sunday Mass, the first ‘normal’ Easter in at least two years was concluded.

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