From our Pastor’s Desk

Dear Family:

Jesus Christ is Risen! Happy Easter to all. Today we experience Jesus’ victory over death. What joy in knowing that God’s love is stronger than death! The resurrection of Jesus adorns us with a new life of glory. The Heart of our gentle Savior was so aflame with desire for our salvation that He generously shared with us His glory. In His redemption, Our Savior’s love, stronger than death, overflows, melts our hearts, and transforms us. In coming into this world, He raised our nature higher than all the angels, and when transformed, He makes us so like Himself that we may even say we resemble God. In becoming one of us, Our Savior took on our likeness and gave us His.

In today’s Gospel, we heard that Mary Magdalene went early to the tomb of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was hurting all over. She had experienced the healing and liberating love of Jesus; she discovered the joy and meaning of life. And now, everything is gone. Her Master is buried in the tomb. Early in the morning on the first day of the week, she went to the tomb expecting to see a dead body. And she was all the more devastated to discover that the tomb was empty. She thought someone took the body of the Lord away. Her sorrow was turned to resentment and indignation. Even the dead body is gone. Now she is left with nothing.

But something happened in an instant. When she bent over into the tomb, she saw two angels. And when she turned around, she saw Jesus standing there. All of a sudden, everything changed. Jesus was not dead after all. He is alive! That explains the empty tomb. He cannot be subject to corruption. The tomb has no power to hold him. With finality, He has conquered sin and death. For, indeed, He is true God. He is our true Savior. And so, we say, “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.”

Today, the Day of the Lord, let us be united with the entire Christian world in this joyful celebration. Jesus is alive! His victory is our victory. His glory is our glory! But what does His resurrection mean for us today? What is the meaning and significance of our celebration and rejoicing?

Let me point out three elements in the Liturgy of Easter. Last night, during the Easter Vigil, we started with the blessing of fire and the lighting of the Paschal Candle. The church was dark. The Paschal Candle, representing Christ as the Light of the world, was brought in, and as each one lighted their candles, the darkness gradually vanished, and the church was filled with warm and radiant light. That is the clear message of the resurrection of the Lord. Darkness is never final. In those times when we experience seeming defeat and deep sorrow like Mary Magdalene, our faith reminds us that there is always hope for a new tomorrow, because the dawn of salvation, Jesus, is with us. We have a living and victorious God, and He works in mysterious ways. He can write straight with crooked lines, we say.

The next part of the liturgy was the blessing of water and the celebration of the sacrament of baptism. Not only was the darkness driven away, but also our sins are washed away by the living waters of baptism. The resurrection of Jesus reminds us of the new life we received in baptism. That is why, during this Easter Mass, we renew our baptismal promises and holy water is sprinkled upon us as reminder of our baptism that gave us new life. We ought, therefore, to ask ourselves: how is my life now as a Christian? Have I been faithful to my promises in baptism?

During Holy Week, many of us have experienced peace and inner joy as we received God’s forgiveness and mercy in Confession. But going to Confession should not just be an annual affair. We are called to commit ourselves continually to a new life of grace. Resurrection means new life – now and for always.

Third, the liturgy reached its fitting climax in the celebration of the Eucharist.Being reborninthewaters ofbaptismisnot enough.Something has to sustain us in the life of faith. And that is the Eucharist. Jesus is telling us: “If you want to have life in me; if you want to attain divine life, then come and eat my body.” This is what I call “reverse metabolism.” When we eat food, our digestive system breaks down the food particles, and they become part of our body. That is regular metabolism. But in the Eucharist, “reverse metabolism” happens. When we receive Holy Communion, we do not have the power to transform the Body of Christ. Instead, we are the ones being transformed by the Eucharist that we receive. We become like Jesus, for we are made to share in His divine life. And Jesus made that promise: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” (Jn 6:54). The Eucharist assures our resurrection. This is why Pope St. Pius X said: “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven.”

Consider the nature God has given to you. It is the highest in this visible world. It is capable of eternal life and of being perfectly united to God. How do we nurture this union? We must begin by loving the divine resemblance of the Creator first in ourselves, then in others. When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb she did not recognize our Savior because He was dressed as a gardener. She did not see Him in the form that she wanted to see Him in. Isn’t it our Lord in gardener’s clothes that we encounter in the ordinary trials that we daily face? Let us open the door of our heart so our Savior may saturate our hearts with divine love. Then we can begin to serve the Gardener as He desires.

Our Savior wishes to plant many flowers in our garden, but to His liking. It is for us to cultivate our souls well, and faithfully attend to them. When spring comes it renews itself with flowers that bring us joy. A day will come when we too will rise to a life of eternal joy. Let us fervently aspire to this most delightful Paradise. Let us travel on to that blessed land that is promised to us, putting away all that leads us astray or delays us on this journey. Let us walk then in the garden of the risen Jesus. It is a day to rejoice!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad being One Body, One Spirit, One Family! Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Michael the Archangel, St. José Gregorio Hernández, Pope Saint Pius X, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Charbel, pray for us.

Yours in Christ!
Fr. Omar