Dear brothers and sisters,
I am delighted to wish you all a very Happy Easter!
Jesus is risen from the tomb! He is truly risen! Alleluia!!!
Resurrection – what a powerful word, what a powerful reality, if we but allow it to work in us. The word itself gives us a sense of newness of life. It fulfills our expectations of HOPE in the light at the end of the tunnel no matter how dark the journey has been.
Easter is the “Feast of all Feasts.” It is the raison d’etre for Christianity and, along with the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas), the most celebrated for Catholics and Christians alike. Easter is at the very heart of our faith. “The Resurrection of Jesus is the be-all and end-all of the Christian faith … The Resurrection is a stunning, disturbing fact that opens up the divine life to everyone” (Robert Barron). But for Jesus’ resurrection, our faith would have been in vain, meaningless and absurd, and we would be the most pitiable of people.
We rejoice today in the immense love of God manifested in the new life that the risen Jesus promises to all of us. St. Paul was absolutely convinced when he said: “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him” (Romans 6: 5). In the risen Christ, God continues to share his glorious life with us. Are we ready and willing to share in his life? It can only happen to the extent that we are willing. Let us open our hearts and be filled with the new life of Easter glory.
Returning to worship the Lord in person has restored our community with unspeakable joy and renewed vigor, offering purpose with a new gait to our walk. There is astonishment in the air as we live this resurrection experience anew. What seemed lost and dead is now alive; what seemed utterly dark is now filled with light. Two years of desolation, isolation, loneliness, frustration, depression, and disillusionment are now giving way to freedom, accessibility, hope, rebirth, and joy as we come together once again to worship the Lord as a community of the faithful.
One of the main responsibilities of a community during the Lenten journey is the accompaniment of our Catechumens, now “Neophytes” (newly initiated Catholics), who entered the waters of the baptismal font during the Easter Vigil, signifying their willingness to die to sin and death and emerge anew in the life of the risen Lord.
Congratulations to Bruce Atkinson and Natalie Rivera and her 4-year-old daughter, Jaylianies Rodriquez Rivera, for their commitment and perseverance through the RCIA process. We also congratulate Mark Zimmerman and Robert Klimkowski who are now in full communion with the Catholic Church. A special thanks to their sponsors and, most especially, to Terry Tagye for leading them in preparation for this profound experience.
Don’t you want to burst into singing ALLELUIA? It is the song we’ve been waiting to sing, and now we can intone that ancient exhortation of our forebearers in faith with conviction. Let our lungs be filled to overflowing … the time to sing has come! Yes, indeed, ALLELUIA is our song! Let us, then, sing it joyfully.
Our office will be closed on Easter Monday.
ALLELUIA! JESUS CHRIST IS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD!
On behalf of Fr. Vincent, the deacons, and the staff, I wish you all a VERY HAPPY EASTER!
May you and your loved ones be filled with the GRACE, GLORY, AND JOY of the RESURRECTION!
Be Blessed!
With love, Fr. John