Dear Friends,
Welcome to Easter Sunday 2023! We are all so glad that you are here! This is the highest and greatest feast of the year.
“He [Jesus] is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead…’” These words of the Angel to the women at Jesus’ tomb on that first Easter Sunday filled them, and they fill us, with wonder, amazement, and joy! The Resurrection of Jesus is His definitive victory over sin, over death. In and through Jesus, we too share in that victory. We share here and now through Baptism the very life and love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are partakers of divinity.
Easter’s joy and rejoicing are so much more than the return of Spring flowers, the baskets of candy, the letting go of Lenten penitential practices. Easter is all about Life, new Life, the fulness of Life. And this Life is the Light that shines through the darkness of this world, offering us hope, giving us strength, bringing us forgiveness and healing.
And like the women whom the Angel told to go quickly and tell Jesus’ disciples, so we are directed to do likewise. We are commissioned to tell others about Jesus risen from the dead. We can’t afford to hold such good news within. We must let others know so they can encounter Jesus personally. Faith is just that, an encounter with Christ from which flows everything else.
What habits can help us to be truly friends with God and strengthened to be Jesus’ disciple? Pope Benedict XVI recommended nine that are rather simple. They are: Twice a day have a brief encounter with God; Every morning thank the Lord for the gift of Faith; Every day find an opportunity to rejoice; Every Sunday encounter Christ in the Eucharist; Every day take note of a sign from God; Contemplate works of art; Enjoy the humorous moments of life; Invoke the Saints more often; Take time for silence.
God loves us beyond all human understanding. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He died and is risen. He intercedes for us with His Father in Heaven. He continues to lead us through the Holy Spirit. Making room for Him as recommended by Pope Benedict opens us up to all that God has and desires for us.
A very happy and blessed Easter to you and your loved ones! In the words of the traditional Easter Greeting ~ “Christ is risen.” – “He is risen indeed. Alleluia!”
God bless you, God love you and I love you,
Monsignor McCulken
