Faith and Mission

Holy Week - Preparation for the Celebration of Easter

In 2019, Rita de Faria received the John XXIII Staff Scholarship and chose to do some further study in the Holy Land. Ms de Faria participated in the Easter Encounter at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem. She produced a clip that is often shared with staff and students during Holy Week. We invite you to watch the clip as part of your Holy Week reflection.

Janeen Murphy

Deputy Principal Faith and Mission

Community Mass

The next Community Mass is Friday, 19 April, and will be prepared by students in Year 9. 

Community Mass Summary:

• Fridays in term time
• 8:00am start – 8:30am finish
• College Chapel

Good News for EASTER

The reflection for Easter Sunday is from Jesuit, Fr Richard Leonard, and is part of a longer homily. By way of preamble, Fr Richard offers a comical anecdote.

PREAMBLE 

A man was driving along the road when he saw the Easter Bunny hop into his lane. He swerved to avoid hitting the bunny, but couldn’t do so. The basket of eggs went everywhere. The driver felt guilty and began to cry. A woman saw the man and pulled over. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked. ‘I accidentally killed the Easter Bunny’, he explained. The woman knew exactly what to do. She went to her car, pulled out a spray can, walked over to the bunny, and sprayed the entire contents over the little furry animal. Miraculously the Easter Bunny came back to life, jumped up, picked up his eggs, waved at them and hopped on down the road. Not far away the Easter Bunny stopped, turned around and waved again. He kept doing this for as far as they could see.

The man was astonished. ‘What in heaven’s name is in that can you sprayed on the Easter Bunny?’ The woman showed the man the label. It said: ‘Hair spray. Restores life to dead hair. Adds permanent wave.’

THE CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF EASTER

Christians celebrate Jesus being raised from the dead. In the New Testament there are two traditions about how the disciples come to know about Jesus’ resurrection: the empty tomb and the apparitions of Christ.

The Gospel of Easter Sunday belongs to the empty tomb tradition. On Magdalene’s urging, Peter and John run to the tomb, find it empty and come to at least an initial belief about the resurrection of Jesus.

Christians do not believe that God simply revived Jesus’ corpse in the tomb as the driver resuscitated the bunny. Easter Sunday does not celebrate the resuscitation of Jesus, but his resurrection. We know his ‘glorified body’ was not the same as his human body because Jesus’ presence could be encountered in several places simultaneously and he is reported to walk through walls and to vanish. 

The link between both resurrection traditions is the importance of Jesus’ death. Whatever way they came to experience the resurrection of Christ, the disciples knew that this was Jesus who actually died and was buried and that their personal encounter was with the one who was crucified. As a result, Christians believe that God empathises with the full limitations of human mortality and promises to remain faithful to us in death as God remained utterly faithful to Jesus.

That is why at Easter 1,600 years ago St John Chrysostom could say on behalf of us all:

‘Hell took a body, and discovered God. 

It took earth, and encountered Heaven. 

It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it could not see. 

O death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory?

… for Christ having risen from the dead, becomes the first-fruit of those who have fallen asleep. 

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!’

© Richard Leonard SJ. Used with permission. Fr Richard Leonard SJ is the Director of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting, a member of the Australian Catholic Media Council and the author of Preaching to the Converted, Paulist Press, New York, 2006.

Celebration of Easter In Parishes

Easter is the high point of the Church year. Today is Holy Thursday, marking the beginning of a three-day liturgy that ends on Sunday and celebrates Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. Families may choose to attend parish ceremonies and include these rich liturgical moments in their family Easter festivities.

• HOLY THURSDAY EVENING  – Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the washing of feet
• GOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON  – Passion of the Lord 
• HOLY SATURDAY EVENING – Easter Vigil, which may include Baptisms
• EASTER SUNDAY – Mass

For convenience, some of our local parishes have kindly sent us their timetable. 

Other parishes may be found at this link.