Reflection for Sunday 27th April 2025

The Second Sunday of Easter

Exodus 14.10-end; 15.20, 21, Acts 5.27-32, John 20.19-31

This week’s readings are bursting with resurrection joy. The waters of the Red Sea part; the apostles proclaim the risen Christ with courage; and Jesus appears among his friends, breathing peace into their fear. Life has broken through. Death is not the end.

And yet… in the midst of this joy, today we also heard the sad news that Pope Francis has died. For many around the world, his quiet voice and bold compassion have been a sign of God’s presence in turbulent times. It is a poignant reminder that even in the glow of resurrection, we carry grief with us too.

But maybe that’s what resurrection actually looks like. Not the absence of sorrow—but God meeting us in our sorrow, and breathing peace into it. The risen Jesus doesn’t return unscathed; he still bears the wounds. And yet his words are not of revenge or rebuke—but of peace. “Peace be with you.”

Resurrection isn’t a clean break from pain—it’s a promise that death doesn’t get the last word. And that promise gives us courage, like the apostles, to keep bearing witness in the world. To speak life, even when death still echoes.

So this week, we give thanks for the joy of the risen Christ—and we also remember in prayer those who mourn. May the Lord who conquered the grave hold us all in his wounded hands, and breathe his peace into our lives.

Blessings and prayers,

Emma