From the Pastor – Easter Sunday

“WELCOME, GLORIOUS DAY OF DAYS,[break]O HAPPY DAY OF THE TRIUMPH OF CHRIST,[break]O STERLING DAY FLOWING WITH JOY, [break]THE FIRST DAY!” 

(A Triduum Sourcebook III, p. 412).

It is Easter! Christ is Risen! We have been given a new lease on life!!
It seemed that our world had ended when Jesus was crucified and died. But it has been restored to life, and so have we, because Jesus has conquered sin and death, and restored us to the right relationship with God. Easter is the central mystery of our faith. The feast celebrates the new life Jesus has gained for us. He has looked death in the eye and conquered it so that we can live as a people freed from sin and death at the end of it all. This feast also means that now we live with hope that comes from being God’s children. It is this hope that sustains us in our everyday life, so that we are able to reflect the new the life of the Risen Lord. Easter means that now all is new. We have a new water, blessed at the Easter Vigil, new oils for the sacraments, blessed at the Chrism Mass, a new Paschal Candle to remind us that Jesus is the resurrection and life, and the church is decorated differently to signify the newness of the season.
Hopefully, as well, we have come through Lent with heart, mind and spirit renewed so that we are able to enter the Great Feast and Season of Easter in celebration. These Great 50 Days, called Mystagogia, are a time to bask in the glory and wonder of the resurrection. Mystagogia is a Greek word which means that we are to reflect more deeply on the resurrection and it’s meaning and impact on our lives. These days are opportunities for us to also reflect on our lives to see whether we do live with the hope and new life of the resurrection, or do we give in to the same doom and gloom that seems to surround us each day.
Easter also means that we have come through the starkness of Lent and winter with a new perspective on life, and are willing to celebrate these next 50 days with joy and hope. Spring has also begun, and this helps us. The earth is renewing itself, just as we are renewed by the resurrection of the Lord. This is truly a time of new life in all its perspectives and dimensions. Don’t let these days slip away because they reassure us that the Father would not allow death to be the end of it all, so he gave us his Son, Jesus, in resurrection, new life and hope to sustain us and encourage us on our journey of life.
What a great opportunity we have to celebrate the wonder of resurrection and new life, not just during this Easter Season, but each day we gather around the Lord’s table to celebrate his death and resurrection as an ongoing encounter with our God.
On behalf of the Staff of our parish and school: FR. SILVANO, FR. EVEREST, FR. JOHN, DEACONS ART, JERRY & DAN, NANCY CAPUTO, CAROLINE PONTERIO, FAITH MACDONNELL, MATT WILSON, KIM MAILLEY, AND OUR SUPPORT STAFF & MYSELF, we want to wish you and your families a HAPPY, HOLY & BLESSED EASTER. And may these 50 days be a time to bask in the wonder of resurrection and new life for us all!
HAPPY EASTER!!!

BUONA PASQUA!!!

FELIZ PASCUA DE RESURRECCION!!!