From the Moderator

My time in Uganda has been both a blessing and a testing. The blessing came in the form of a meeting of leaders from across the country who had come together to hear the vision of the Catholic Fraternity. The testing came after I had checked out of my hotel in Kampala. I realised that I didn't have my passport and travel documents.

I've been in Kampala for thirty-six hours and already there have been many surprises. I was at Mass today and met a whole group of people who had been part of the leadership program we've offered over the last eight years. Walking down the street looking for somewhere to have a meal I heard someone calling my name... What are the chances?

This Easter, as we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are challenged to rediscover that personal intimacy with Jesus Christ which can be obscured through our own blindness. Is Jesus our centre, the most important one in our lives? If not, seek him again, just like Mary Magdalene, and wait to hear him call your name.

As we celebrate Emmanuel's birthday, let's stop and remember those moments when God called us into existence. Over the last 37 years, there has been an overwhelming experience of God’s grace sustaining us and using us to build the kingdom of God. Sometimes we are only able to recognise this grace in retrospect – but life is like that at times.

One of the commentaries on the Gospel that I read last Advent was insistent that we seek the Lord at every opportunity. At one level or another, we were being encouraged to make room, to open our hearts and to pursue the One who has pursued us and loved us and given us the amazing gift of his only Son...