Archbishop of Sydney

George Cardinal Pell's Easter Message For 2007

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
6/4/2007

It is especially at Easter when Christians proclaim what they mean by the one true God; radically different from the gods and goddesses of Eastern religions and different too from the God described in the Quran.

In Christianity love is absolutely paramount and the invisible transcendent God is personalised in a young Jew who lived, suffered and died 2000 years ago.

God often struggles for press coverage in Australia, but He has been doing better lately - perhaps because the violence of a small number of Islamic terrorists has prompted us to rethink our religious beliefs, or absence of belief.

More importantly we are uneasy about the climate.  We are told El Nino has disappeared, but the drought is not over in most parts.  And we have the threat of global warming.  It is to be hoped the one true God will accept all those carbon credits.

The Christian God is not an insurance broker and his Son had more than his share of trouble.  Neither did Jesus say anything on global warming, although he said much on the struggle between good and evil, meaning and fear, love and hate.

The one true God is the Supreme Intelligence, without beginning or end, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, but He sent his Son to live and die among us and this Son told us to call God "Father", because we are his children; not his servants, subjects or slaves. 

Jesus calls us to address the challenges in our own hearts, families and communities, before we moralise about distant worlds, where we are usually powerless.

The suffering and risen Jesus is known as Emmanuel, "God with us".  May his message at this Easter bring peace and hope to all the sick and suffering and to all the guilty and despairing, as a prelude to everlasting life.

Easter peace to everyone.

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