Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Risen Lord:
The Lord is truly risen, alleluia. To him be glory and power
for all the ages of eternity, alleluia, alleluia.
(Luke 24.34; cf Revelation 1:6)
The Lord is truly risen. This is the truth of Easter. This is the
truth that we celebrate. This is the truth to which we give
witness. This is the truth of Easter. Our Lord Jesus Christ
who died on the Cross has risen and is now alive. He rose
from the dead and opened for us eternal life with God. In
the Gospel, the message of the Angel to the women who went
to see the tomb is encouraging:
“Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here;
for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where
he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been
raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to
Galilee; there you will see him.’”
(Mt. 28.5-7)
Like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, this good news should be a
cause of great joy for us!
This is the truth that we celebrate. Our Lord Jesus Christ is
with us and will forever be present in our midst. He is true
to his promise. He is alive. He wants to meet us in Galilee.
What is the significance of Galilee? It was Jesus’ home. It
was where Jesus’ followers lived. It was also the place
where many significant events took place as Jesus fulfills his
mission. Even now, Jesus wants to meet us where we live.
He wants to find a dwelling there. He wants to entrust us
with a mission of making his presence known and
experienced by everyone.
This is the truth that we give witness to in our daily lives.
We need to tell the world around us, Jesus is risen and he is
with us. We need to show the world that we are witnesses
to this truth. We are his disciples. We need to be faithful to
Jesus who appears to the disciples and assures them:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the
end of age.”
(Mt. 28.18-20) A witness is someone who
testifies to the truth. It is our responsibility as followers of
Jesus to give witness to his truth with the way we live our
respective lives. May we show to the world around us that we
are people who believe and give witness to the resurrection of
Jesus, that we are Easter people!
I wish to express my sincere appreciation, and that of
the Parish Clergy and Staff, to all of you for making our
Lenten and Easter celebrations prayerful and beautiful.
To those who serve as Readers, Eucharistic Ministers,
Organist, Choir and Music Ministry, Altar Servers,
Ushers, Candle Tenders and Collection Team,
Religious Ed. CRE Melissa and Catechists and Aides,
Tom Salerno as Coordinator of Confirmation
Preparation and Youth Ministry, Gerard, the Floral and
staging designer for his attractive staging of the
Sanctuary, Knights of Columbus (Chili Cook Off, Palm
Crosses), Legion of Mary, the MacDonald family who
change out the missalettes…and to many who assist
behind the scenes and out of sight. I send greetings to
Fr. Rectorino M. Tolentino, Jr. from St. Joseph Parish
in Smithers, B.C., whose Easter insights I included here.
Here were some of the activities considered highpoints
of our Parish this Lent: The Franciscan Mystery Players
presented a prayerful and moving “Stations of the Cross
drama back on March 28. Our parish clergy participated
in the “24 Hours of Mercy-Round the clock
confessions on Friday March 4 and Saturday, March 5.
Children’s confessions were heard during Religious Ed
class times. Our sanctuary reflected the purple of
penitence while the curly willow branches signaled the
signs of nature in hibernation. Many paid visits to Our
Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, day and night, stopping
to pray and light a candle for a special intention. The
Legion of Mary sponsored a Retreat Conference on
Divine Mercy with special talks, rosary, Chaplet and
Benediction. The Irish celebrated the St. Patrick’s Day
Mass and Social. Flea Markets and Craft fairs brought
crowds to the Hall. The Faith-full food drive was a
runaway success.
As for TODAY: Jubilant children will scour the church
lawns on Easter Sunday to find eggs filled with Easter
candy. Masses will be crowded, some standing -room-
only as we assemble to proclaim again the MIRACLE
OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
Let us continue to renew our faith in the Risen Lord as
we gather daily and weekly to celebrate God’s everlast-
ing presence among us in the Eucharist.
Happy Easter and happy renewal of our baptismal
promises!
Fr. Paul Harte
Fr. Cal LaVerde
Deacon Joe Lonergan