“What can bring us happiness?” many people say. “Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord.”
Quoting from one of the ancient Psalms, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB began his homily for Easter 2025 with a question that he said lies at the heart of every major decision in life – a question that ultimately leads us to the risen Christ.
Preaching at St Mary’s Cathedral during the Easter Vigil on Saturday 19 April and Easter Sunday morning Mass on 20 April, Archbishop Costelloe invited the faithful to reflect on their own search for happiness and meaning in light of the Resurrection.
The Vigil Mass and Easter Sunday morning Mass were both attended by significant crowds of more than 1000 people each, with several people welcomed into the Catholic Church as candidates or catechumens during the Easter Vigil Mass.
Concelebrating with Archbishop Costelloe at the Vigil Mass on Saturday 19 April was Cathedral Dean Rev Dr Sean Fernandez, Assistant Priests Fr Kenneth Acosta-Garcia, Fr Richard Smith, and Fr Jason Yeap as MC, former Vicar General Fr Peter Whitely, assisted by Deacon Paul Russell.
Concelebrating with Archbishop Costelloe at the Easter Sunday 11am Mass 20 April was Cathedral Dean Rev Dr Sean Fernandez, Assistant Priest, Fr Jason Yeap, assisted by Deacon Aaron Peters.
Numerous television news presenters and broadcasters also attended the Sunday morning Mass, interviewing Archbishop Costelloe and filming parts of the Mass.
The universal search for happiness
From decisions to marry, raising children in faith, or answering a call to religious life, Archbishop Costelloe said all these moments are grounded in a shared human desire: to find fulfilment and joy.
“They are decisions made in hope and with love,” he said, acknowledging the deep aspirations that guide life’s journey.
But he did not shy away from the reality that these decisions do not always lead where we intend.
“Some of the decisions we have taken and the choices we have made have, in fact, not brought us happiness but rather the opposite,” he said.
“Our search can go astray; our priorities can be confused; decisions can be destructive rather than life-giving.”
Christ, the light in our darkness
Reflecting on the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection, Archbishop Costelloe pointed to the moment when Jesus appeared to his disciples, transforming their despair into joy.
“In a way that those who in ancient times asked this question could never have imagined, God answered this prayer… in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead,” he said.
“As Jesus… made Himself known to His disciples, the light of His face shone on their darkened and deadened hearts.”
This encounter, he said, is not a distant memory but a present reality.
“The same Risen Lord stands at the door of our hearts, knocking. If we open the doors… we too will find the happiness for which we have been searching.”
Archbishop Costelloe highlighted the journey of the Elect – those who were baptised or received into full communion with the Church at the Vigil – as a powerful testament to this encounter.
“Somewhere, somehow, they have caught a glimpse of the light of Christ and have found the courage to follow that light until it led them here. They are, each one of them, a special gift to us tonight.”
A gift of peace and hope
The homily concluded with a message of peace – the peace that Christ offered his disciples and now extends to all who believe.
“It is a peace born of fidelity, a peace born of trusting faith, a peace born of our desire and our willingness to put Christ at the heart of our lives,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
This peace does not remove life’s difficulties, he explained, but transforms them through the gaze of the Risen Lord.
“For tonight he looks into our eyes and says, ‘Peace be with you. Do not be afraid. I am with you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.’”
As the Archdiocese celebrated the central mystery of the Christian faith, Archbishop Costelloe’s words served as both a personal invitation and a communal call – to let the light of Christ shine in our lives, and in doing so, to find the happiness we seek in him.
