Dear Friends,
The staggering number of people who came to celebrate the Easter Masses with us fills my heart with joy and gratitude to God. Praise the Lord! Alleluia! Christ is Risen Indeed. Alleluia!
Along with that sentiment I am indebted to so many of our friends in the different ministries who came together to provide as yet one of the best Easter Liturgies ever in our parish. Thanks to all of the following ministries: Altar Guild, Altar Linen, Altar Servers, Art & Environment, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion; Digital Media, Lectors, Music Ministry, Money Counters, Sacristans and Ushers. Bravo! Thanks to your year-round dedication to your ministry and especially at this critical time.
A special word of thanks to Anna Maria and David Coppa for their relentless efforts at getting the dazzlingly colorful Altar Linens adding to beauty and glamor to our already beautiful sanctuary. They had toiled for nearly 3 months on this project. They will continue to explore ways to enhance color and beauty to our sanctuary as we have been contemplating on many ideas.
The whole of Lent we have been accompanying and praying for our Catechumens and Candidates and now they have become our neophytes: Danielle Pastor and Danielle Bologna and Mike Combs. Congrats to our newest adult members! Special thanks to Terri Tagye and her team and the sponsors for their efforts at handing on our splendid faith.
I am also grateful to the ad hoc committee that came together to prepare for the Easter Sunrise Mass at our “Beach”. It was a huge blessing to have so many people gather to lift up their hearts to the Lord as the sun rose that Easter morning. Alleluia!
This weekend we celebrate yet another important feast namely the Divine Mercy Sunday. Every Second Sunday of Easter is set aside for the commemoration of the Mercy of God shown to us by the Risen Lord. His forgiving mercy was first experienced by the Apostles when Jesus appeared to them on that Sunday of Easter when they were huddled together behind locked doors in fear and in despair. Thomas was not present at the first appearance of Jesus and therefore would not believe that Jesus had appeared to the rest of them. But when Jesus appeared to them the following week, Thomas personally experienced the patient and forgiving and merciful Jesus reaching out to envelop him with love. Thomas’ absolutely riveting faith statement captures his experience of surrender: My Lord and my God! (John 202:28).
Let us never underestimate the infinite mercy and love of God for us. Often enough we might reel under the two extreme places in our relationship with God: presumption or despair, both of which is not a good place to be in. Presumption is to believe that, I know God loves me and therefore I can do whatever I want. Despair is to give up saying, my sins are too grave that God will have nothing to do with me. We need to have a balance in relating to God. He loves us enough not leave us where he finds us. He will demand of us certain things such as our surrender like the prodigal son who said in Luke 15:21: “Father, forgive me for I have sinned against heavens and against you…” We can also be like Thomas saying: My Lord and my God! Let us now bask in the mercy of the Risen Lord as we pray: Jesus, I Trust in You.
Be Blessed!
With love, Fr. John