Because of the resurrection, the way of Jesus becomes the way for all of us to follow, if we wish to live, fully and faithfully, the life which God has given us, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has said.
Speaking at the Easter Vigil Mass, Saturday 30 March, and Easter Sunday Mass on 31 March, Archbishop Costelloe was joined at the Saturday Vigil by Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, former Vicar General, the Very Rev Fr Peter Whitely VG, Cathedral Dean, the Rev Dr Sean Fernandez and Assistants Fr Richard Smith and Fr Kenneth Acosta as MC, Redemptoris Mater Seminary Rector, Fr Michael Moore SM, Mirrabooka Parish Priest, Fr Daniel Chama and Assistant Priest Fr Vittorio Riccardi, Cottesloe Parish Priest Fr Marcelo Parra, Itinerant priest Fr Chrispin Witika and Neocatechumenal Way Catechist, Fr Tony Trafford and assisted by Deacon Paul Russell.
More than 800 people gathered for the Vigil Mass, which commenced with the Liturgy of Light outside.
This year, Archbishop Costelloe baptised five catechumens, and confirmed one candidate in addition to four others.
On Easter Sunday, Archbishop Costelloe was joined for the Mass by the former Vicar General, the Very Rev Fr Peter Whitely VG, Cathedral Dean, the Rev Dr Sean Fernandez and assisted by Deacons Aaron Peters and Bruce Talbot.
What Jesus said to His first disciples at the Last Supper, emphasised Archbishop Costelloe, and what our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus to new life confirms, becomes vital for each one of us.
“That He is our Way and is calling us to follow; that He is our Truth, and is calling us to believe; that He is our life, and is calling us to live,” he said.
Also joining the Vigil Mass were 28 men and women from the Second Neocatechumenal Community of Mirrabooka Parish, together with the national itinerant catechist team, Toto and Rita Piccolo, priest Fr Tony Trafford and seminarian Alessandro Cantos.
The men and women of the Second Community of Mirrabooka – who processed into the Cathedral wearing white robes representing their baptismal garments – this year renewed their baptismal promises following the completion of the final rite of the catechumenate after some 30 years of formation.
Also speaking in his homily, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted that we live in a society which is increasingly structured in such a way as to make it easy to push God to one side.
Trying, for example, to balance the demands of family life and the raising of children with the pressures and expectations of our working lives, does not leave too much time for attending to our life of faith and our relationship with God.
Without God, Archbishop Costelloe continued, our inner restlessness will grow.
“That restlessness can only be masked by the distractions and busy-ness of our lives for a time.
“Eventually we will need to find God, or perhaps it is better to say to let ourselves be found by God, if we are looking for peace of mind and heart,” he said.
This is why the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus holds so much promise for us, but also so much challenge, Archbishop Costelloe explained.
“The resurrection holds the key to what it really means to be truly and fully human, truly and fully alive,” he said.
Cathedral Dean Fr Sean Fernandez joined acolytes in distributing Easter eggs and chocolate to the congregation at the conclusion of both Masses.