Alleluia! Christ is risen!
When Our Lord was crucified and put to death, even many of his disciples were left in doubt. Yet, this doubt was not to last. After Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples, his first act was to offer that true peace that only God can provide. We know that Jesus indeed rose from the dead, so in our time we are called to testify confidently to the goodness of God, the divinity of his son and the wisdom of trusting in his promises.
Our Lord’s victory over sin and its consequences makes possible our hope. In Our Lord’s dying and rising, he assures us that there is never cause for despair.
In Sacred Scripture, St. Paul proclaims: “(s)et your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” St. Paul knew the ways of the world and the inability of the things of this world truly to satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. St. Paul’s dramatic conversion as a result of his encounter with the risen Christ serves as a reminder to each of us to be willing to listen to the voice of God and, to again and again in the particular circumstances of our daily lives, drop to our knees in prayer and thanksgiving for the one who saves us and ever stands ready to walk with us.
Throughout this Easter season, Our Lord invites us to close our hearts to fear and open them to the joy of his Resurrection. No matter how many times we may have fallen, Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and forever, invites us through his church to live faithfully and steadfastly persevere.
In this time of doubt, turmoil, and uncertainty in our world and perhaps our lives, may we remember that the risen one is alive and with us every step of the way. As believers, we begin to participate now in the Kingdom of God that will definitively triumph in the fullness of time. We look forward with hope to the promise of dwelling with God in eternity, but this future-oriented hope must never cause us to forget that God accompanies us here and now in our earthly pilgrimage through his church and the grace he pours out through his sacraments. May we treat each day as a new opportunity to ask God for an increase in the virtue of hope, and the healing, new life, and transformation that a life with God makes possible. Even at times when all seems lost, may we know that hope remains within reach because of Christ, the one who is truly risen.
Particularly in this Jubilee Year, the church invites us to be pilgrims of hope and to see ourselves and one another as God sees us: as men and women who are each known and loved and made for the glory and splendor of eternal life.
This Easter season, let us receive once again Our Lord’s invitation to take up our crosses and follow him along the way that leads to the fullness of peace, joy and the fulfillment of our hope. With renewed confidence and faithfulness, may we remember that we are called as believers to be faithful witnesses to the risen Lord, drawing others to the church, and transforming our culture by our words, works, and the example we give by our lives.
May Our Lord Jesus bless you with his peace and increased faith, hope, and love during these sacred days, in the Easter season, throughout the Jubilee Year, and always.
