Easter 2020

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“Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”

This is what we celebrate on Easter Sunday, the joy of Christ risen and alive in our midst.  Though many may not feel like celebrating this year because of the effects of the Corona Virus in our country and the world, we must have hope.  This may actually be the first time for many of us to be able to experience what the Apostles, and all the disciples of Jesus who were with Him, day in, and day out for three years, felt like after the Crucifixion.  They would have had their hopes, dreams, and desires dashed, but, for those who held on, the Mary Magdalene’s, and the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, whose hearts burned within as they realized that Jesus was walking with them, so, must our hearts burn within us with the knowledge and the truth, that Jesus walks with us always.

The Readings for the Easter Vigil reveal to us God’s plan of salvation lived out in the realities of daily life – times of joy and struggle; times of fasting and feasting.  From the Patriarchs and the Prophets, we hear over and over again how God is with us through everything, leading us always closer to Himself, until through the Sacraments, we truly enter into real union with Him.

May our encounter with the risen Lord on our journey of faith touch us deeply and transform us as He did for His Disciples. May the resurrection lead us to be who God created us to be, namely His children; committed to live out our Baptismal covenant.

So, let us not be afraid, or hesitant to proclaim boldly, “This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad” (Psalm 118). This then is the Joyful Good News: Christ by his death and resurrection has conquered sin so we may live. The Resurrection is the foundation and cornerstone of our faith. As St. Paul says,” if Christ has not been raised, then our hope is in vain, and our faith too is in vain” (Cf. 1 Cor 15:14).

I want to think all of you for your faithfulness in providing your weekly offerings to us during times that are difficult for you also.  Together, with God’s help, we will get through this.  May Our Risen Savior bless you with the peace and confidence of our holy faith which allows us to share in such magnificent mysteries. Please be assured that I will remember you and your loved ones in Mass I am privileged to celebrate on Easter Day. 

In the Sacred Hearts,
Father Robert