Dear Parish Family:
Happy Easter! He is truly Risen!! Alleluia!!!
Christ’s victory over sin, death, and grave is our great hope as Christians. We no longer need to be burdened by sadness and gloom that death has the final say over our lives. We can believe with expectant hope that if we are faithful to Him, He will remain faithful to us raising our bodies on the Last Day.
St. Paul tells us: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him (Rom 6:3-9).
I pray these next forty days of Easter to the Ascension of our Lord into heaven bless you with a greater awareness of God’s presence in and victory over your life. May He draw you closer to His Sacred Heart which pours out love and mercy over you. May He bless our parish community and all faith disciples who hope in Him.
For the next eight days, the Church will celebrate the Easter Resurrection with great vigor and joy in the Easter Octave (“eight-days”). The Octave concludes next Sunday with Divine Mercy Sunday.
On Divine Mercy Sunday, there will be an hour of Eucharistic Adoration, prayerful reflections, and sung Divine Mercy Chaplet beginning at 2:30pm in the Church. You are welcome to join us.
Have a blessed Easter Sunday!
In Jesus, through Mary and Saint Joseph,
Father Danda
