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Caroline Thompson is Head of Heritage and Spirituality with Mercy International Association. She shares a Spiritual Reflection for the Mercy World for the Season of Easter:
As we celebrate this Easter Season, we are confronted on a daily basis with the horror of war and violence, bitter politics and the horror of lives torn apart in so many parts of our world. How can we celebrate new life when we seem to be surrounded by division and hatred. In his homily on Easter Sunday, Father Frank Brennan, an Australian Jesuit priest, shared these words:
"Our politics is no longer anchored in values or in interests. Even the most secure of alliances are unanchored. Children and grandchildren have no assurance that they will enjoy the same peace, security, prosperity and wellbeing as their parents and grandparents. They may not even be able to afford a roof over their heads."
So what can be said about goodwill and hope this Easter?
Religious or not, where are we to find hope?
Whatever our religion or none, how are we to find the inner resources to show goodwill individually, collectively and nationally, when it is not reciprocated?
This (Easter) we Christians, no matter what the perilous circumstances in which we find ourselves, joyfully declare that the Lord is risen, that hope triumphs, ultimately. … on this Easter Day, gathering with family and loved ones, recalling those loved ones who have gone before us, we dare to imagine and we recommit ourselves to building relationships, both personal and diplomatic, which cultivate life, hope, sincerity and truth.
Those of us who are Christian pray for tomorrow, and ultimately the life to come, when all will be one, in love, when all will be known, in truth (Frank Brennan. Easter Message. The Australian).
In this Easter Season we are all invited to be, what the late Pope Francis called ‘pilgrims of hope. Easter people who look for ways to bring light and life to our communities in the everyday.
"Easter reminds us that Jesus was executed … for insisting that there are other ways to change the world. Love, solidarity, generosity, compassion. That’s what threatened them, that’s why they crucified him." (Rohr. CAC Discussion Group, April 2026).
For personal reflection:
How can you live as Pilgrims of Hope in your part of the world?
How can you ensure that love, solidarity, generosity, compassion and mercy are a reality in your communities?
ENDS