Living the Gospel-Pete Gilmore—The Faith of Thomas (Pete has been thinking about today’s gospel, the one we affectionally call the doubting Thomas story and he says we have it all wrong. How did Thomas go from courageous disciple to poster boy for doubt? Firstly, because the New Testament Greek word for unbelief gets mistaken for doubt and secondly because we don't make space in our relationship with Jesus to ask him the hard questions, as if being in need of hope, healing, faith, a miracle, are problems that Jesus might scoff at. Thomas is someone whose example we should follow. Thomas was struggling with unbelief, but his solution was more Jesus, not less, to ask for something incredible and to say to God, no, I need to meet you here and in this place. Jesus is ready to meet us in our need. Are we ready and willing to call out to him?)

The Bush Deacon—Josh Clayton—Outlast the Journey (Deacon josh has been watching the Netflix series– Outlast, the stories of 16 people dropped into the Alaskan wilderness, and it has reminded him of John the Baptist in Matthew’s Gospel and that great moment of the proclamation by John the Baptist of Jesus. Each of us, for many different reasons, have times in the wilderness when we have moments where we need to orientate ourselves and determine what's important, what's going to give us life, what's going to help us to be who we're meant to be, as well as encounter and help those that need assistance in the wilderness. We're not in the Alaskan wilderness, but we do have those moments where we're called to reorientate ourselves towards God. Make sure the path in our heart is as straight as possible and keep focus on the main thing, Jesus Christ.)

Easter Message-Bishop Brian Mascord—The Divine Gardener (On that first day of the week, when Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb, she, in her grief, mistakes the Risen Jesus for a gardener. Perhaps Mary was not mistaken. In many sacred art works depicting this scene, Jesus is shown with the Weeping Mary, a shovel or spade in hand as if he is already set to work. Jesus becomes a gardener, not of a physical place, but of our hearts. The divine gardener comes to dwell in us, nourishing and feeding, pruning the branches that have become wild, and binding up all that is weak and broken because he loves us. And sees in us a garden that can and will bear fruit under the guidance of his gentle hand. Will we let him make something ever more beautiful within us?)

Wisdom from the Abbey–Mother Hilda–St Bede’s Angels (Mother Hilda retells a beautiful story told about the Venerable Bede, a monk in Northumbria who died about 735 AD and how this near blind monk was tricked into speaking to a non-existent audience in the monastery church. At the end of his talk, it is said that a whole choir of angels filled the church, and they called out, Amen, Amen, Venerable Bede. Mother Hilda says that very often we too get taken for a ride when someone asks us for help. They use us, or our kindnesses are not repaid. Yet knowing how dear you are to God, a choir of angels in God's name calls out in your house, on your street, or on the bus, or in the shopping mall, Amen, Amen, and calls your name. Listen for them this week.)

Gospel Reflection–Fr John Corrigan (Ballarat)—Divine Mercy (Fr John uses the War Crimes trial and death of Rudolf Hoess, the Commandant of Auschwitz as an example of Divine Mercy. Sentenced to death and while being held in a Polish prison, Hoess was shown such human kindness by his guards that he asked for an Auschwitz surviving Polish Jesuit priest, Fr Lohn, to enable him to be sacramentally reconciled. On Divine Mercy Sunday, this is an example of recognising God’s boundless limits of mercy as well as a demonstration of the transformative power of mercy when we show it to others.)

On The Journey This Week: Fr John Corrigan’s reflection for Divine Mercy Sunday. Mother Hilda’s story on St Bede, Bishop Brian Mascord’s Easter message, the Divine Gardener, plus, Pete Gilmore on the faith of Thomas, d the bush deacon Josh Clayton on wilderness.

God in the Everyday—Fr Mike Delaney–Lent (As we celebrate the Resurrection, Fr Mike says tells of a Lenten experience he had that showed that people sometimes do listen to what he says. At the parish primary school on Ash Wednesday, Fr Mike shared with the students one of his Lenten observances, to put money in the Project Compassion box each time he had a can of Pepsi. During the Taste of Huon event one of the students asked Fr Mike how many fines he had paid for breaking his Pepsi fast. Usually, we don’t share with others our self-denial decisions, but because he did share it with the school children, he wonders if it did make him more accountable. It’s a reminder that frequently we do need someone in our lives who holds us accountable for our behaviour and can challenge us when we need encouragement.)

On The Journey This Week: Easter Sunday reflections from Fr Mark De Battista and Mother Hilda, plus Fr Mike Delaney, Trish McCarthy and a faith testimony from Eddy Ferry from MenAlive.

Milk & Honey–Trish McCarthy–Nature's Evangelist (Trish recalls the time she climbed Mount Kosciusko. It was a profound experience, particularly the experience of the silence. It was as if the whole of creation was holding its breath, awaiting the coming of the Lord. It highlighted the importance of creating space in order to ready myself to receive God. Nature is one of God's first evangelists, and we can learn a lot about ourselves and our creator by soaking in this gift and allowing God to reveal himself in and through this gift of nature.)

Gospel Reflection–Fr Mark De Battista—Truly Risen from the Dead (Fr Mark says that unlike all the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ public ministry miracles, there is no actual eyewitness account of the resurrection moment. What we get is his disciples seeing an empty tomb and a whole lot of different pieces of information leaving them to join the dots and, in this way, coming to faith, that he has risen from the dead. Jesus then appears many times to his disciples to reassure them of their faith and to show them once again that he's truly alive, just as he said he would be. What we have modelled for us is an example of how we too come to faith. We do not see Jesus. We haven't heard his voice. We haven't seen his form, but we believe that he is alive because of the impact that he has upon our lives.)