An Easter Message from Our Parish Priest

Dear People of God,

“REJOICE!” and again I say, “REJOICE!” 

I don’t think we realize how much God wants us to rejoice on this momentous occasion of the resurrection of God’s only begotten Son. This joy has nothing to do with our personal disposition; whether we are personally happy or not is not the point. The point is that God shares this joy with us and we will be foolish to turn it down. Imagine if our country won the World Cup or is selected to host the Olympic Games and we win our first Olympic gold! Never in our wildest dreams do we imagine these things happening. So when they do, we will find ourselves rejoicing and celebrating even though they have nothing to do with us personally. We simply rejoice because these are momentous moments.

Now imagine how much more it must mean when the momentous moment does have something to do with us! 

Dear friends, Easter has EVERYTHING to do with us. It is the basis of our hope in eternal life, the guarantee of the reward that is to come that gives real meaning to our mortal existence in the here and now. So, the question is: how much does Easter resonate with us? Do we see it as an annual event for which we feel nice for a while, and then go back to living our lives as if nothing has happened? But something momentous has happened: the Lord is risen! We are not celebrating so much an event that took place two thousand years ago but something that is happening right now in our hearts – the inexplicable joy that is a gift from the Father himself. And the rightful response is gratitude. Gratitude to God the Father, who, out of love for us, allowed His Son to be crucified for our sins without pinning the blame on us! As if that is not enough, the Father now shares His joy with us. 

Join me then, dear people of God in this humble prayer: “Father of Might and Splendour, thank you for the gift of your Son whose suffering, death and resurrection this day has made us sharers of your immense JOY. Let it well up from the depths of our being and burst forth in an ‘ALLELUIA! He is risen! Indeed, He is risen!’ Amen.”

On behalf of the Jesuit community of Xavier Hall, the Parish Pastoral Council, the parish office and all ministries, a most joyous Easter to one and all. “REJOICE!” and again I say, “REJOICE!” 

Fr Alvin Ng Sze Syn, SJ