Easter 2009 |
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“Will you be my witness?”
At a recent gathering at Yeppoon of Catholic and Anglican Priests and Deacons, together with the Principals of our Catholic Schools and Colleges, Adult Faith Coordinators and Ecumenism Commission members, there was much discussion about evangelism. How do we, in 2009, get across the story of Jesus and His message? It was clear that as disciples of Jesus, we are all caught up in the Mission of Jesus, a mission to a world hungering for good news. Jesus needs each one of us. One agreed conclusion was that we have to meet people where they are, not where we think they should be. The huge majority are not worshipping with us in church, so where are they? They are all around us, with us in the market place - in the shopping centres, employment agencies, waiting for the food van, knocking on our hostel doors. They are the neighbours in the unit beside us, or over the side fence. “You will be my witnesses”, like the women who discovered the empty tomb. You will be my witnesses like Mother Theresa, or all those people you and I know, who just give their all in reaching out to others. We witness to HOPE, which is the message of Easter. We share Jesus’ belief that life is worth living, that everyone has a unique dignity and a God-given right to freedom and respect. We share Jesus’ belief that suffering, illness and death leads eventually to new life, Resurrection for Jesus, renewal of life for us, through the dying and rising experiences that come our way. This Easter, let’s be filled with real HOPE, the hope that Jesus’ resurrection brings, the hope that we can witness to by the way we reach out to all. As we celebrate this Easter, Jesus is speaking to each one of us personally “Will you be my witnesses?” Happy Easter to all.
Brian Heenan
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