Easter: A time to hope
Christ throws a party at dawn and splashes water in the face of unbelief’ – Patrick Henry Ryan
One of my favourite parts of Easter Sunday Mass is the sprinkling of baptismal water over the congregation after they have renewed their baptismal promises. It is meant as a reminder of baptism but there is something almost playful about the splashing of water that brings out the child in all of us. Who hasn’t splashed water over someone on a trip to a beach or a river?
This ritual takes place after the people have renewed their baptismal promises. It is not a thing that we should take lightly; it is more than a formula of words. We are proclaiming publicly that, despite times of darkness and doubt, despite fears and anxieties, illness and bereavement, we are prepared to make a statement of faith; to commit ourselves again to following Christ as his witnesses in the world and being signs of hope and light in a world where there is so much despair and darkness.
It is a leap of faith. It is a challenge. But, for those of us who have been blessed with the gift of faith it is a source of great joy and hope. So, as we are sprinkled with Easter water on Sunday, receive it as a gift: a sign of God’s love, a symbol of hope. It is given in joy; receive it with joy. I wish you all the joy and peace of this Easter season……….Fr Donal