GO FORTH, THE TOMB IS OVERCOME!
Easter greetings to all—to parishioners, extended families, neighbors and guests. Christ is Risen as He said, Alleluia!
As the forty days of Lent come to an end, we might be tempted to see Easter as a kind of end-point of our Lenten disciplines and penances. We might breathe a sigh of relief and think to ourselves, ‘I made it!’ While it may mark the end of fasting and an opportunity to kick up our heels (for a while) it must not mark an end of prayer or of works of mercy (or almsgiving). We must learn the truth that the empty tomb of Easter is not really a point of arrival, but rather a point of departure. The fifty days of Easter which stretch before us are an invitation to take seriously where we have come from, what God has done for us and where we are going from here. After all, Jesus’ apostles didn’t come to the tomb, but they went forth from the tomb. We must follow their lead and go forth on mission.
What would it be like to live this Easter season as a real summons to new life? What would it be like to maintain the momentum that was begun in Lent for our ongoing conversion of heart? What would it be like if we believed with Mary, Peter, John and the other earliest disciples of the Lord that His Resurrection radically changes everything about our life? Let’s allow this Eastertide to be a time find that out.
Easter has brought new life those in our Discovering Catholicism-RCIA cohort who have encountered the Risen Lord within the Sacraments celebrated during the Easter Vigil. We welcome these newest members of the Church and we pray that they may persevere in the newness of life that they have been given. Thanks are due to their catechists, especially Grant O’Neil, as well as their sponsors, friends and family. This group will continue to gather in the coming weeks during a period known as mystagogy that invites them to live fully within His Church. The Sacraments of Initiation are not the end of a path, but the beginning of a rich Sacramental Life! This is true no matter how long ago our Baptism, Confirmation or First Communion may have taken place. It is all made new this Easter!
The Lenten Season which is passed has included many occasions of hospitality and service. I would like to thank those who assisted with the Solemn Closing of Forty Hours, Soup Suppers, Holy Thursday reception, the Palm Sunday bake sale and craft fair and Easter basket blessings! Thanks also to our church decorators at all our campuses who worked so hard to prepare for this glorious Easter season. Thanks also to our clergy and the many individuals and families who assisted with our Holy Week liturgies and who worked behind the scenes. I would especially note the hard work of our parish staff, our liturgical volunteers and musicians who helped make our liturgies and all the offerings of Lent and Holy Week so moving. What an amazing gift!
Easter is a Season of Sacraments. Next weekend as we come to Divine Mercy Sunday, we celebrate Sacraments at the 4:30 pm Saturday Mass at Holy Cross (Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion for a group of youth) as well as the 9:30 am and 11:30 am Sunday Masses at Holy Cross (First Communion). Please pray for our young people who approach the Sacraments!
Chrystus zmartwychwstał! Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!
Christ is risen, alleluia! He is risen indeed, alleluia!
-Fr. Howe