How privileged we are to be worshipping in this beautiful cathedral this morning.   Nobody tried to prevent us from coming here nor was it difficult to travel to this place.  We were greeted by the thunderous and joyful peal of bells as we approached.  The building itself is magnificent with its soaring arches, high ceiling, beautiful stain glass, spacious sanctuary and choir, a great organ with a wonderful choir and ordered liturgy.  Oh what a privilege it is just to be here in this building which speaks so eloquently of our transcendent God and yet is not so large as to intimidate us ­ sheer privilege.

Yet even all this pales into insignificance, beside the Gospel message of today which is proclaimed by millions of people across the world, often in an environment very different from our experience this morning.  But wherever it is proclaimed in wealth or poverty, in violence or peace, the extraordinary message is the same ­ ‘Christ is risen; He is risen indeed’.

How the hearts of all believers race as they raise this anthem, filled with joy, hope and exhilaration.  It is this message that makes this day the Queen of all Christian festivals.  It is the bedrock of Christian belief for to echo the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians ­ “And if Christ has not been raised our preaching is in vain and so is your faith”.

Of all the privileges we have on this joyful morning the heartbeat of it all is our celebration of the Real Presence of the Risen Christ, over us, beside us, beneath us and, above all, within us.  Sheer, unutterable privilege. Normally on Easter Day I reflect on some aspect of Irish society in the light of the Resurrection.  To day I want to depart from this tradition and turn our attention to a much, much larger canvas - world poverty and debt. 

Last month I travelled to Honduras and El Salvador with Christian Aid to visit some of the work that they fund in these two countries supported by our own Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal.  I am now in my 68th year and never in all those years have I endured such harrowing experiences. Technically, I suppose, as poverty is measured, these countries are not considered to be in the worst circumstances in the world, but that is, I expect, because there is also an incredible amount of wealth.  In Honduras for example, 17 families who also control politics and the economy own 75% of the land, the best land, of course.  The contrast is bizarre. 

The rural poor live in some of the most isolated communities imaginable, often in mountainous regions, which are barely accessible even in the dry season.  There they try to hack out a living growing sugar cane, coffee, maize and vegetables on the steep mountain slopes in tiny pieces of land and in poor soil.  Three years ago Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras for six nightmare days in which 8000 people died and 6000 disappeared which simply means that their bodies were never recovered.  In one community high in the mountains poor farmers saw their precious crops slide down the mountainside and the following year there was a drought.  Their suffering was unimaginable yet they clung to life with courage, dignity, hope and a deep faith in God.  

In one community we met in the little Roman Catholic Church of stark simplicity, a wooden table painted green for an altar with a crude crucifix above it.  As their priest had a huge area to cover they only saw him occasionally and he will not be with them today.  But this I do know their community leaders in worship will lead them this morning in prayers and signing and they will participate with extraordinary joy in the midst of their poverty.  

The government does little for them. On our last day, a Sunday, in El Salvador we visited the tomb of Archbishop Romero and found a Mass in progress celebrating the 33rd Anniversary of the founding of base communities in that war-torn country.  These were Christian people who came and come together to celebrate their faith and witness to it by sharing their possessions and to give a sense of solidarity to the marginalised.  Archbishop Romero shared their vision and was assassinated as he said Mass in the little chapel of the hospital where he lived.  It is common belief that his murder was planned by the army for as well as serving the poor with extraordinary courage and devotion, he had also publicly begged President Carter not to send any more weapons to El Salvador.  This very public request infuriated both the government and the army who terrorised the poor in a most brutal fashion and sealed this fate.

We cannot prevent hurricanes in Honduras and earthquakes in El Salvador but we can do a huge amount to help these marginalised people to rebuild their shattered lives.  I observed that so little can go so far in restoring their lives to some degree.  We saw the efforts of Christian Aid and Bishops’ Appeal, for example, in building earthquake resistant housing.  Little houses of 32 square feet yet to those who live in them there was a huge sense of pride and an extraordinary depth of gratitude.  So little did so much and we were deeply moved by their joy and pride and gratitude in what they now have.

Non governmental organisations such as Christian Aid, Trocaire and Bishops’ Appeal can only do so much.  The underlying problem in so many countries is unquestionably their debts.  Paying back loans to the IMF and the World Bank means huge cutbacks in health and education in particular.  It is a complex matter no doubt but it presents a huge moral problem.  What law governs those who lend?  None is the direct answer.  The lenders are the judge and jury ­ they are the ones who dictate the terms of the loans and there is no organisation to monitor their activities.  They are a law unto themselves.

It is not the poor who decide to borrow but rather those who hold political power and who are frequently corrupt or at best inept.  It is the poor who bear the burden of having to endure the cutbacks in basic areas of their lives ­ they are the innocent ones who suffer and the injustice of it all cries out to heaven for a fair solution.

You may ask what all this has to do with the Resurrection?  It has everything to do with it.  The Risen Christ who spent so much of his incarnate ministry amongst the poor, the outcast, the sick and the very people who were beyond salvation in the eyes of the religious establishment and held in contempt by the authorities.  As his followers we are challenged to be His eyes to look out on the world in compassion; His hands not only to bless that to heal and to help; His mouth not only to proclaim the Gospel but to condemn evil and injustice and His feet to bring the message to every corner of the world that He is risen.  That is the cornerstone, the rock, the firm foundation of our faith.

So we the disciples on the road to Emmaus let our hearts burn within us and let our minds, our hearts, our tongues and every fibre of our bodies thrill to that wonderful Gospel. 

Christ is Risen.
He is Risen indeed.  Hallelujah.