JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!
This is the reality we celebrate today, the same reality we celebrate every Sunday. For the Christian, the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection is something that never loses its joy no matter how many times we celebrate it. Of course, we cannot truly celebrate His Resurrection without remembering His suffering and death on the cross. These two seemingly different events are truly one event because you can’t have one without the other.
Each time we gather for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we remember the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has become a man, and He gives His life for us by willingly suffering on the cross so that we can have eternal life. What a wonderful gift He has given us. A gift we do not deserve, nor can we earn. He gives us the gift of Himself because He loves us more than we can imagine. This is the glory of Easter, and this is the joy that is given to us.
There are many times in our lives that we do not feel the joy that is ours because of the many concerns that weigh heavily on our hearts. The present situation that we are experiencing now in our world has brought great pain and suffering, worry, and frustration to many people. It is not an easy time for anyone and yet there is reason to hope because that comes with loving God and knowing that He loves us. It is so important that we express our love and gratitude to God for all that He has given us and not just in the material blessings we have received, but also for the gift of life and salvation.
As you know I have encountered a time in my life when I am not quite feeling the joy of Easter in my life due to recent health issues. Even though I have not been feeling the joy of Easter physically, I know that Jesus has indeed risen and He is always with all of us. It has been a rough five weeks, but due to the many, many prayers of my Sacred Heart family I am on the road to getting stronger and hope to be back at the altar sharing with you the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you all for all your prayers. They gave me comfort, encouragement, healing, and a constant reminder of the faith and love we share in Jesus Christ. God bless you all for your kindness and generosity. You are all in my prayers.
I am very grateful to all who made our Holy Week celebration such a prayerful and meaningful celebration, especially to Fr. Joe Robinson and Deacon Rich who worked so very hard to make it all possible. May God bless all our extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, lectors, ushers, altar servers, musicians, cantors, choirs, and those who so beautifully decorated the church for Easter. The liturgy here at Sacred Heart is the center of our parish life and I have always tried to make it a priority. The liturgy is the source and the summit of our Christian life, it connects us to the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and then to one another. This is what makes it possible for us to carry out the commission that Jesus gives to spread the Gospel. We need to keep this reality in our minds and hearts as we strive to grow in our Catholic Faith and share it with others.
We have been blessed with many gifted and dedicated people who are willing to share their gifts and talents to make our liturgies prayerful, inspiring, and beautiful. All that we do is done prayerfully, reverently, and carefully to give the worship to God that He truly deserves and one that reminds us constantly of His great love for us. I will always be grateful for all these years of beautiful worship and prayer.
Next Sunday is the Feast of Divine Mercy. Last week’s bulletin contained a flier concerning our celebration of this great feast of God’s mercy. Our Adoration Chapel is dedicated to Divine Mercy and so we as a parish should cultivate a deep devotion to Divine Mercy. Jesus came to us to show us the love and mercy of God. Easter is a celebration of God’s mercy because, by His rising to new life, Jesus conquers sin and death so that we can have a new life in God. As is our custom here at Sacred Heart, we will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at the end of every Mass next weekend. You will also have the opportunity to venerate the image of Divine Mercy, that is, to bow or genuflect before the image that will be displayed in front of the altar next Sunday.
I take this opportunity to announce that Bishop Malesic has accepted my letter of retirement which I rendered with the coming of my 75th birthday in May. The bishop has accepted the letter, and I will be officially retired as of June 30. As of June 11, I will have been ordained a priest of Jesus Christ for 49 years and as of July 1, I will have been the pastor of Sacred Heart for 29 years.
