YOUR STORY: "In this Jubilee Year of Mercy we celebrate Easter with a special focus on the wonderful gift of mercy.

Lent has been a time of listening to God's Word and practicing the works of mercy.

It has been a time of preparation and reflection, where we were invited by Pope Francis to live more intensely a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God's mercy.

It's not easy to take those words and turn them into practice.

They can seem ethereal or 'out there' when in fact they are meant to be grounded and practical.

We can celebrate God's mercy by being a reflection of that mercy to others.

Works of mercy can be as simple as lending a hand to those who need it, listening to someone who is alone or opening yourself to another's perspective.

Many people have taken up the opportunity to contribute to the great work of Caritas Australia through Project Compassion.

Those donations will go to those who most need it, including the people of the Pacific nations affected by natural disasters and climate change.

As we gather together with our families and friends to celebrate this Easter, we should be mindful of the displaced and those seeking asylum.

Pope Francis calls for us to "comfort those who have left their own lands to migrate to places offering hope for a better future and the possibility of living their lives in dignity and, not infrequently, of freely professing their faith."

In the midst of the darkness of war and hostility we know the light of the Resurrection.

We are an Easter people, a people of hope.

We all know the story of that first Easter morning when the tomb was found empty.

We know that Jesus rose from the dead and transformed the tears of anguish on Good Friday into incomparable joy.  

We are called to be bearers of that Good News into a world that desperately needs that hope.

Let us rejoice and be glad! Christ is risen! He is indeed risen!

I wish you every blessing in this wonderful season."

Bishop Robert McGuckin
Bishop of Toowoomba