The problem is that to tell the Easter story, we have to talk about death, and that’s a subject we tend to avoid with children until it’s absolutely necessary - often when they first experience the death of a beloved pet or a family member. And at that point, we fumble; it so often takes us by surprise.
For me, as I look back, just a few days on, at the two launch events for my new book last weekend, the most remarkable thing is - how much I can't remember!
The Jesuit theologian Gerald O'Collins has authored or co-authored over seventy books. He taught for more than thirty years at that flagship of theology, the Gregorian University in Rome. His students have become professors in universities, colleges and seminaries around the world.
Thy Kingdom Come is fast approaching and, in our small, semi-rural parish, we have been gearing up for a while now. There are a lot of things on offer to try, a lot of imaginative cogs whirring round in our heads and a huge amount of potential for reaching out beyond our church walls.