Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty. On this, your night of grace, O holy Father, accept this candle, a solemn offering, the work of bees and of your servants’ hands, an evening sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church. ~Excerpt from The Exsultet: The Proclamation of Easter

Alleluia!  He is Risen! Saying those words is like drinking a tall glass of cold water after being out in the desert all day.  Lent is over. It is time to celebrate the great joy of Easter!

At the Easter Vigil, the Exsultet is sung as Mass begins in darkness, illuminated only by candles throughout the church.  The Exsultet is a beautiful hymn of rejoicing in Christ’s triumph over sin and death. 

One part states:

O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!  O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

This line stands out because it calls the sin of Adam “necessary” and refers to it as “O happy fault.”  At first, this might seem strange.  Why is it that we refer to the sin of Adam, Original Sin, as “necessary” and “happy?”  The answer is Easter.  It’s because God, in His perfect wisdom and love, took sin and the consequence of sin (death) and used them as the means of the salvation of the world.  That’s what Easter is all about! 

This might be hard to comprehend, so it’s worth thinking about more deeply.  Without Adam’s sin, there would be no Jesus.  God would not have had to become one of us.  So even though the original sin of Adam, as well as all future sin, is evil and wrong, God in His perfect power and love chose to use all sin as the very means of the salvation of the world.  How?  By allowing the sins of the world to persecute Him and crucify Him, and then, by turning that suffering and death into the very means of salvation.  Jesus destroyed sin by destroying the consequence of sin, which is death.  Death loses in the Resurrection!  Jesus’ Resurrection takes away the effects of all sin for those who cling to Him.

Easter is a time when we must do just that.  We must “cling” to our resurrected Lord!  We must cling to Jesus who is alive and well.  We must cling to His Resurrection and strive to share in it.  How do we cling to our Resurrected Lord?  There are many ways.  Here is one.

Take joy in everything.  Start with whatever it is that burdens you the most—whatever it is that makes you angry, sad, or depressed.  Whatever that is, it can become your greatest source of grace and joy.  Seriously, it can.  If the brutal Crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God, can turn out to be the greatest event in all of human history, then your personal suffering, your burden, or even your sin can very much become a source of great joy, as long as you let God transform it into part of His Resurrection!

This is the meaning of Easter!  Easter means that nothing can keep us from the joy that God wants to give us.  Nothing can steal that joy away.  Sure, at times we will struggle just as Jesus did in the Agony of the Garden and the Via Dolorosa (the Way of the Cross), but those sufferings will not win.  The Resurrection won with Christ, and it will win with us when we cling to Him.  Jesus persevered and, in the end, rose victorious.  This is Easter!

Know that God wants you to experience the joy of Easter in your life.  Let Him fill you with hope and with the joy that only the Resurrection can bring.  God wants Easter to begin now in our lives!  Happy Easter!

 PRAYER

My transforming Lord, help me to cling to You in Your Resurrection.  Help me to let you transform every cross and burden in my life into joy.  Lord, may Your joy fill my life and be my strength in all things.  Jesus, I trust in You.

SOURCE: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/easter-sunday/

An Act of Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Holy Mary, Mother of God and Virgin, I choose thee this day for my queen, patron, and advocate, and firmly resolve and purpose never to abandon thee, never to say or do anything against thee, nor to permit that aught be done by others to dishonour thee. Receive me, then, I conjure thee, as thy perpetual servant; assist me in all my actions, and do not abandon me at the hour of my death. Amen. — St. John Berchmans

Devotions to the Mother of God

(Source: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/05_1.cfm)

PRAYER FOR THE CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY FAMILY 
O Lord Jesus,  
you lived in the home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth.  
There you grew in age, wisdom and grace  
as you prepared to fulfill your mission as our Redeemer.  
We entrust our family to you. 
O Blessed Mary,  
you are the Mother of our Saviour.  
At Nazareth you cared for Jesus  
and nurtured him in the peace and joy of your home.  
We entrust our family to you.  
O Saint Joseph,  
you provided a secure and loving home for Jesus and Mary,  
and gave us a model of fatherhood  
while showing us the dignity of work.  
We entrust our family to you.  
Holy Family,  
We consecrate ourselves and our family to you.  
May we be completely united  
in a love that is lasting, faithful and open to the gift of new life.  
Help us to grow in virtue,  
to forgive one another from our hearts,  
and to live in peace all our days.  
Keep us strong in faith, persevering in prayer,  
diligent in our work, and generous to those in need.  
May our home, O Holy Family, truly become a domestic church  
where we reflect your example in our daily life. Amen 
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us! 
(Source: Microsoft Word – Consecration prayer to the Holy Family (sacredheartbath.org) 

LIVESTREAMING MASSES AROUND THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY – Click Below
Live Masses – Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney (sydneycatholic.org)

How to pray the Rosary 

PRAYERS IN TIME OF PANDEMIC

Prayers in time of a pandemicDownload

Welcome to St Michael’s Church, Meadowbank

Welcome to those who like to know or be involved at St Michael’s Church, Meadowbank.

We hope that you will learn about us and that we will be able to learn from you and help grow our parish community.

Caring for Children and Vulnerable People:

The Parish is committed to the Christ-like care of all children, young persons and vulnerable people. By following in the example of Jesus Christ and his words to “Let the little children come!”, the Parish is doing all it can to build a community and a Church that safeguards the voice, freedom and life of children, young persons and vulnerable people. Please click on LINKS to view some of our essential policy documents.

Donating and Contributing to the Parish

The Parish is able to flourish and continue the work of Christ through the generosity, support and participation of our parishioners. If you would like to contribute in any way to the parish, please click here. 

Parish Facebook Page 

Please visit and follow the Parish Facebook Page. Please click here.

A MESSAGE FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY

Child sexual abuse is a crime. The appropriate people to deal with crimes are the police. If you, or anyone yo know, have been abused, please contact the police. Alternatively, you can contact the Safeguarding and MInisterial Integrity Office at (02) 9390 5810 or click on the link https://www.sydneycatholic.org/safeguarding-and-child-protection/

You may also want to speak to your Parish Priest – Fr Emmanuel Seo who will be able to provide support and guidance. The Archdiocese has a legal obligation to report crimes to the police.