Dear Friends,
All blessings and every grace to you and your loved ones on this Easter Day 2022! We rejoice for the Lord is risen! “The Lord is truly risen, alleluia! To Him be glory and power for all the ages of eternity, alleluia, alleluia.” (Lk24:34; cf. Rv 1:6; entrance antiphon, Easter Day)
This message that “Jesus is risen from the dead …resounds in the Church the world over, along with the singing of the Alleluia. …we celebrate today: the Easter of Christ the Lord. The words heard by the women at the tomb are also addressed to us: Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Death, solitude, and fear are not the last word. There is a word that transcends them, a word that only God can speak: it is the word of the Resurrection.” (Pope Francis)
Truly amid the world’s darkness, its horrors, tragedies, violence, those natural and those imposed by mankind, we live in hope. For our citizenship is in heaven. We have reason for joy. Jesus the Lord is risen. He is the Victor. He is the final Word.
Next Sunday, the octave day of Easter, is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. I’m sure you are familiar with the appearances of Jesus to Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy painting. You are invited to participate in our Divine Mercy Sunday celebration at 3 PM in our Church. It is a beautiful devotion, and this celebration is a special one indeed. May we implore God’s eternal mercy every day.
I have cut way back on watching news programming. I scan headlines and newsfeeds and read up on things there. It is hard to tell at times what is actually news and what is commentary. The source of what we watch and what we read is a critical factor these days.
In our society in particular, there appears to me to be an increasingly pitched battle happening between evil and good, between ignoring God’s Commandments and following them. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we know the ultimate victory is won. In the meanwhile, we also know that Jesus tells us to pick up the Cross and to follow in faith, hope, and love. It will require heroic virtue in the days ahead.
So let us pray fervently, receive the Sacraments frequently, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct all our thinking, speaking, and actions. Jesus has provided us with all we need, let us never take our eyes off of Him, our crucified Savior, Who is risen, alleluia.
God bless you, God love you,
Monsignor McCulken
