Throughout our Lenten journey, we have been responding to the invitation to see, to reflect, and to encounter. I often find it unsettling to accompany Jesus during Holy Week, because it puts me face to face with unsettling realities. The realities of weakness, frailty, and ultimately death are ones from which I often make an effort to avert my eyes. This invitation to see is uncomfortable.

Looking at the reality of severe hunger, armed conflicts, and increased polarisation, compounded by cuts to humanitarian aid, may feel as hopeless as peering into a tomb and expecting to find death. But the tomb we visit is empty. Despite the feelings of despair, love fills us with the courage that enables us to look for Jesus the crucified and to discover he has been raised.

Love fills us with the courage to see the reality of those who are suffering.

May this Easter season remind us that every encounter invites us to see beyond despair and into audacious hope of the Resurrection. May we be transformed by the courage to encounter others where they are, to listen, to uplift, and to share in their hopes.

I invite you to continue to walk with us, so that together we can protect life, restore dignity, and be a sign of God’s love for those who have been forced to flee.