THE Archbishop of York described the Middle East conflict as “literally pointless” in his Easter Day sermon at York Minster.
“We thirst for peace between the warring nations of the world and . . . cry out for an end to the literally pointless conflict consuming the Middle East at the moment,” Archbishop Cottrell said.
Continuing with his theme of thirstiness, based on Jesus’s words on the cross — “I thirst,” or sitio in Latin — he referred to international law, Christian unity, and the use of “destructive” social media.
“We thirst for justice in a world where norms of international law are eroded and ignored, where basic human rights are denied,” he said. “We thirst for unity within the Church of Jesus Christ, itself so painfully divided by the conflicts of the past and an easy acceptance of a scandalous status quo in the present.
“We thirst for hope, praying for the leaders of our nation, and all the nations, praying that we can find ways of rising out of the destructive and rude siloes and echo chambers of social media which so controls our narrative.”
Archbishop Cottrell referred to communities at home in which “people feel left behind”. And he said that a sense of belonging was also needed “across our whole world”.
“We thirst for belonging, for eyes to see and hearts to love one another, and, acknowledging our common humanity, build communities of diverse, good, and peaceful loving; for Jesus tells us not to be afraid, and commands us to love one another, and says that it is by this life that people will know we are his disciples,” he said.
“We need this in our communities here in Yorkshire and across the north of England, where so many people feel left behind, and where so many young people grow up with little hope of a better future.
“We need it across our whole world; we need it urgently; for today, Easter Day, Christ is risen. He still bears the wounds of his suffering love. He goes on thirsting, showing us the Father’s love, longing for us to receive the water of life and the cleansing baptismal waters of faith. His message to one and all, for everyone here in York Minster and across the world, is, ‘Sitio. I thirst. I thirst for you.’”
Concluding on a lighter note, Archbishop Cottrell said that, at Easter, “we must quench other thirsts as well”. He continued: “Open the beer. Crack open the champagne. Make that Margarita. Pop another olive in your Martini, or, if it is your thing, just do that very English thing, and put the kettle on. But what we see and receive in Jesus, and celebrate again today, is nothing less than irrigation for the soul. Rejoice! Drink up!”