A SENIOR cleric has said he was moved to tears by a television
programme in which bereaved husband John McAreavey spoke about how his
murdered bride Michaela Harte watches over him in prayer.
In his Easter sermon, Bishop of Kilmore Leo O'Reilly commended last week's RTE documentary on Michaela's tragic death last January in Mauritius, in which her father Mickey Harte, the Tyrone gaelic football manager, also spoke of his deep religious faith.
Speaking
at the Easter Sunday Vigil Mass in the Cathedral of Saints Patrick and
Felim in Cavan, Bishop O'Reilly admitted that he was not a regular TV
viewer, and sometimes missed good programmes.
He said he was
lucky not to have missed the whole of Tommie Gorman's 'Finding Peace',
which he described as a very good programme appropriate for Holy Week.
"I
was lucky enough to catch the second half of it," said Bishop O'Reilly.
"It moved me to tears at times, but it also lifted my spirits and gave
me great hope.
"It gave me hope because it was such a powerful
witness to faith in Jesus and in the power of
faith in Jesus,
particularly at times of tragedy."
Praise
Bishop O'Reilly is the second Catholic prelate to commend the programme highly. Last Thursday, Cardinal Sean Brady was similarly ecstatic in his praise.
Noting
that the faith of the people close to Michaela was "deep and sincere",
Bishop O'Reilly said: "What all of the family and friends of Michaela
who took part in that programme were saying quietly but clearly was: 'I
believe in the resurrection.'"
Meanwhile, Cardinal Brady directed his 2011 Easter greetings towards the sick and to people who were troubled in any way.
Speaking
at the Easter Vigil Mass in Armagh, he also referred to those who were
grieving from the loss of a loved one.
"I am thinking especially of
those who are lonely because they know that they are terminally ill, or
because they know that a loved one has truly left them," said the
Primate of All Ireland.
"I
am thinking of those who are depressed because they feel today, a sense
of loss or bereavement, failure or rejection," added Cardinal Brady,
urging Catholics to renew their faith in Jesus Christ.