April 12, 2020

Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen" (Lk 24:5).

These words of the two men dressed "in dazzling apparel"
rekindle the hope of the women who had rushed to the tomb
at the break of dawn. These women did not yet know that this
was the dawn of the most important day of history. They could
not have known that they, they themselves, would be the first
witnesses of Jesus' Resurrection.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3503

Each of us must encounter the risen Christ in our own way if
we are to go beyond simply a rational acceptance of church
teaching to build a personal relationship with God. In some
way we must go through our own passion, crucifixion and descent
to the dead, to recognize the gaze of the risen Jesus. “I
will be with you always, even to the end of the age,” Jesus told
his disciples in Matthew’s Gospel. And, indeed, He is, in response
to prayers, in the sacramental life of our church, and in
even in our human relationships.

Then, in recognizing the risen Christ in our own lives, we
begin to see him in others. And be Christ to others. This can,
and should, be the gift of Christians to the world.
After the risen Lord encountered the apostles in Jerusalem
and asked them why they were troubled, he showed them his
hands and his feet. He affirmed to reality of his resurrection,
and they became “incredulous for joy and were amazed” (Lk
24:41).

Joy is a hallmark of our encounter with the risen Christ, for we
who were lost have been found.

Our age is not so different from every other age. The sins are
not new. The shortcomings are not original. The suffering is no
more painful than in other eras.

And our responsibility as Catholics is no different either now
more than ever during this Pandemic. We are to care for the
weak, bring aid to the sick, visit the prisoners, comfort the
dying. We are to bring solace to the despairing, friendship to
the lonely, hope to the hopeless.

This Easter, let us kneel before our risen Lord and ask him to
transform our hearts, so that all who see us, see him in us. Let
us joyfully celebrate Christ’s final victory over death, and let
us share this joy with our world.

On behalf of the parish staff, I would like to wish you and your
family a Blessed and Happy Easter!
Stay Spiritually Strong, Fr. Dan