Bishop Anthony writes:

As I compile these notes at the end of March, the High Days of Easter are well and truly here - not just the Easter Octave which lasts from Easter Day until the following Sunday, but the glorious six weeks of the Easter Season – during which, until His Ascension, our dearest Lord chose to remain, in his new, glorified body, with His Apostles and disciples – they who were the beginnings of the Catholic Church.

As the first days of Easter joy pass, the more we are tempted back into our old, mundane ways; even for us who are Christ’s Faithful, these weeks can be an anti-climax. Yet it must not be so, for we are all year round an Easter people – and ALLELUJA is our song! Alleluja in the eternal joys of JESUS, our Risen Lord. But let us think more about this JOY in Christ – joy in a world where so much around us is, clearly, anything but joy!

In the spiritual life, the more we manage to fix our hearts and souls on GOD, the less importance we will attach to external things of earth – those earthly things which, for so many people, seem to be the all-pervading vision and the only goal. The real remedy for the many difficulties of life is a share in the light of God. As Christians we are called to seek God’s light, in and through Jesus Christ, and if we truly seek God’s light we shall become less and less disturbed by our daily, physical trials (inevitably with us in this mortal life) as well as by the lack of all those worldly joys (the material things) which, because we are human creatures, we all so often crave - and to which we feel, all too often, that we are indeed entitled!

Let us all, this Eastertide, centre our longings on Christ and turn more and more to GOD who alone can provide us with real joy in our innermost souls. God alone can bring us true peace and joy because His joy is of a very much higher character and is more powerful and transporting than any fleeting, human joy can ever be. Indeed, my dear brethren, if we don’t actually have this joy it is not that God doesn’t want to give it to us; it is because we continue to adopt unworthy, earthly views of life – those pernicious views which are destroying modern society and leading it to ruin and perdition – the view that (as the amoral TV commercials tell us) we are “Worth it!!”

All the greed and evil in the world come from man’s disinterest in seeking the peace and joy which flow from the Holy Ghost – the living God who is willing to pour into our souls part of His own gladness and joy. Ponder the first versicle and response at the beginning of the Preparation at Mass. “I will go unto the Altar of God … to the God who rejoiceth my youth.” … or, as another translation of the Latin has it: “To the God of my gladness and joy.” This puts us in the right frame of mind to be in Communion with GOD – by seeking His holy joy!

All true joy comes from God. Think how joyful we are when somebody we love is expected or, indeed, is with us. Such human joy is itself a manifestation of God’s unending love for us – if you like an “advent” of the true joy we shall know when we finally see God face to face. What did Christ, Who is true God as well as true Man, bequeath to his followers? PEACE. And Peace is a more tranquil form of joy. Our Lord warned His disciples of hardships ahead – yet He promised them Peace. In our restless times peace is in short supply; but of course Christ wasn’t promising peace as the world understands it. He was promising peace and joy to those of good will who seek Him and do their best to unite themselves to Him. Christ is saying to us: “Don’t come to me for money or for those purely material things which, anyway, can’t make you happy in themselves! Come to me for unchanging, eternal peace and joy of soul.”

Whether we be rich or poor; whether we be in good health or poor health; however we go on grumbling about our daily lot and the things which we think aren’t right in our lives – NONE of all this will touch our peace if we are inwardly at peace with GOD. Everyone has difficulties, yet I venture to suggest that the difficulties and problems of everyone reading this are as nothing compared with the poverty and precarious living of so very many of our brethren in other parts of the world! God wants us to be happy and to serve Him with joy: He wants to give us His joy, but not just the joy that is transient – He offers us the eternal joy that belongs to Him and is His own gift.

“Come to me all ye that labour and are burdened: I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon yourselves and learn from me; I am gentle and humble of heart and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (St.Matthew, Chapter 11. Verses 28-30)