Easter greetings! We all come to Easter with a sense of joy and hope in our very troubled world.
One way of deepening the joy of Easter in our hearts is to reflect on some of the great Easter Biblical texts. A possibility is to read quietly the direct speech of the Risen Jesus in the Scripture and to omit the narratives. These are the parts that largely talk about the background details.
For example, in John 20 there is the encounter of the Risen Lord with Saint Mary Magdalen. We listen to the following, “Woman why are you weeping? Tell me where have you put him? (V.15) …Mary…Rabboni (V.16).”
By doing so two aspects emerge. First, is to savor even more deeply the words of the Risen Jesus to those who are realising gradually that He has Risen from the Dead. Secondly, this requires from us a great deal of silence between the different direct words. These silences are not just any sort of silences. These are silences of attentive listening to the Living Word of God in the Easter Gospels. By listening carefully, we allow the Word of God to “Easter in us.”
The Silences of Easter can help us compare the noisiness of what is happening in the world today. The noise of missiles hitting buildings and innocent people. The noise of people talking on and on about political strategies. The talk of warfare and belligerence.
All of this is replaced with the great inner strength of silently listening to the Lord and for Jesus to strengthen us deep within. We can then go out into the world and truly be joy and hope. We will try not to use threatening language or words that scatter rather than unite.
In this Easter Season, let us therefore penetrate, more deeply than ever, the hidden Silences of the Gospel texts of Easter.
Allow these Silences to give us greater inner strength to be people of great hope and joy in a noisy world filled with hurtful words and actions.
Archbishop Christopher Prowse
Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn
Apostolic Administrator, Military Ordinariate of Australia
