Dear visitors, guests, and parishioners, Easter is a time of great joy, renewal, and hope. Easter reminds us that, through Jesus, we are given new life.
No matter what burdens we carry or how dark the world may seem, Christ’s resurrection is the promise that light will always overcome darkness.
This year, as we celebrate the Jubilee of Hope, we reflect on what true Easter hope and joy mean. Hope is not just wishful thinking—it is the certainty that God’s love is greater than anything we face. Joy is not simply a passing happiness but a deep assurance that, even in difficult times, God walks with us.
The Easter Gospel stories show us how Jesus met his followers in their fear and uncertainty. Mary Magdalene wept at the tomb, and her sorrow turned to joy when she recognized the Risen Christ. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were lost and discouraged, and their hearts burned within them when they encountered Jesus. Likewise, our world today faces many uncertainties—wars, struggles, and personal hardships. Yet, Easter reminds us that we are not alone. Christ has conquered death, and His victory is our hope.
May this Easter fill your hearts and homes with the radiant joy of the Risen Christ. Let us walk together, renewed in faith, and share the hope of the resurrection with all we meet for Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
May Your Easter be holy, joyful, and filled with hope!
-Fr. Tom with the Staff
GROW AS A DISCIPLE
After years (and, for many of us, decades) of celebrating Easter, we may not be sensitive to the sheer peculiarity of the Resurrection accounts. But a close reading of today’s Gospel prompts us to ask: If most of us were dreaming up the greatest event in history, wouldn’t we have made it more exciting? A little fanfare would have gotten the message out to the world and nipped future skepticism in the bud. Yet this is not what God did. The account of Jesus’ resurrection has no fanfare; in fact, it is not an account of a resurrection at all. It is a story of an empty tomb discovered by a woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons (cf. Lk 8:2), and two fishermen. Awestruck by the simplicity of these circumstances, we are inspired to adore the profound humility of God who invites – but never forces – us to respond to him in faith.
GO EVANGELIZE
Although we cannot know exactly why God chose to arrange the events this way, today’s second reading offers a hint: “For you have died,” writes St. Paul, “and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” This world which we consider home, and everything that comes to mind when we say “my life” – these are only shadows of the life that is found in Christ alone. Like the disciples in the Gospel, we are meant to gaze past the outward appearances of our mundane and sometimes pain-filled lives and, with the eyes of faith, place our hope in the true life that comes from God. But how often we forget! How often we live as if this world were all there was, without hope for eternal life! We are not alone in forgetting God’s promises; Mary Magdalene and the disciples do not seem to expect Jesus’ resurrection – even though he had repeatedly predicted it. At the tomb, they sought a dead body; but Jesus wished to offer them his life. We, likewise, must desire and seek his life by laying aside everything that does not lead us to him.
REJOICE
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Although we don’t place our hope in this life, marking the Church’s feasts in our homes and families can inspire us to seek “what is above” by giving us a foretaste of the joys of heaven. Today through next Sunday, as we celebrate the “Easter Octave,” every day is Easter Day! Use simple reminders – decorations, an extra treat, an additional time of prayer – to rejoice each day of the Octave.
By the Faithful Disciple