An Easter message from the Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth Philip Egan

Fr. Daniel is no stranger to human sickness and suffering. Originally from Nigeria, he is the chaplain to the massive Queen Alexandra hospital here in Portsmouth

A man of joy with a big smile, he has been going into hospital every day to support the staff and minister to the sick, especially to those on the Covid wards. ‘I love my work,’ he says, ‘especially caring for patients with Covid.’

The pandemic has made it a very difficult year. Many of us have known isolation, loneliness and fear. We have been far from loved ones, lost loved ones, fallen into financial difficulty and confronted emotional and physical

struggles.

But if this year has shown us anything, it is how much we need each other, to belong to one another, to be able to love another and have them love you back.

During the pandemic, I have witnessed great acts of sacrifice. That is what authentic love is about: sacrificing yourself - your own wants, needs, desires – to care for others. I have seen it in Fr. Daniel, in our nurses and doctors,

carers, cleaners and security guards, in neighbours, family members and volunteers.

When my mother died a few years ago, we had inscribed on her gravestone a line from the Song of Solomon: ‘Love no flood can quench, no torrents drown.’ Love is always stronger than death. When a loved one dies, we don’t stop loving them. That love endures. It points to the eternal.

We are now approaching Easter, a time that points to the eternal: to love triumphing over death. The Easter message is one of absolute hope. God gave His only Son - in sacrifice – for love of each and every one of us. The

miracle of Jesus’ resurrection tells us that death does not have the last word. In any suffering, we are not alone. God is with us always and has prepared for us a special place in Paradise with Him.

I wish you and all readers of The News a very Happy Easter!

+ Philip

Bishop of Portsmouth