Two short Easter reflections from the Deans of Down & Dromore
Reflection from the Dean of Down, the Very Revd Henry Hull:
Easter is the season of hope!
It is the hope of resurrection and of new beginnings
My prayer is that we all, in our personal lives, discover that hope and that sense of new beginning through our faith in Jesus.
But I pray too that our community, as I said on St Patrick's Day, in the light of the new political beginnings, takes this opportunity to put the past behind and step forward positively towards a new future and that we all pray and work together for the healing of our land.
Reflection from the Dean of Dromore, the Very Revd Stephen Lowry:
Three Easter Days
An AWFUL day. Jesus, totally humiliated, was paraded through the streets half naked. Stripped of his dignity, his esteem, his humanity. His foray into public life had ended with a great fall! An eerie silence fell as the heavens behaved out of character and daylight was dimmed. Nothing like the darkness of that tomb, though. Dead, and Buried. Awful.
A NORMAL Day. A quiet Sabbath was a welcome end to a busy week. For the small disciple band, still hiding even though the darkness of Friday was past, this was the quietest. As the evening came, ointments for the grave were bought. The temple scent which filled the Spring air was overwhelming.
An DEFINING Day. No day before or since has had such an impact on the lives of the people of the world. For me, that break through from the tomb gives me freedom from past failures, optimism about life today, and confidence for the future. Death, up to then invincible, is now a defeated enemy. The empty tomb, the folded grave clothes, the Risen Christ!