On Easter Sunday we celebrate the solemn feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wish you all a happy Easter. The season of Lent is given to us to reflect on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through spiritual activities. During the season of Lent we have fasted, done penance, made pilgrimage to other churches, and prayed the Stations of the Cross to encounter Jesus’ passion and death. We do charitable things and spend more time in prayer.
Holy Week has also been very important to our worship. We celebrated Jesus Christ as the King on Palm Sunday. On Holy Thursday, we celebrated the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. On Good Friday, we witnessed Jesus’ passion and death.
Finally, we celebrate the feast of Easter, which is both solemn and joyful, bringing us to Christ’s Resurrection and His having conquered death for us all. Easter gives the promise of God to us: life in Christ is stronger than death.
In Him, love overcomes hatred and good triumphs over evil. The miracle of Easter is the foundation of our Christian faith. The resurrection of Jesus Christ completes the mystery of redemption and salvation. Knowing this, we can understand and take comfort in Jesus Christ’s message, “Peace be with you.”
Easter invites us to rejoice with a deep, unrestrained joy on Our Lord’s victory over death. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, a new life, the life in the spirit, is available to all. Christ’s sacrifice exemplifies self-giving; His resurrection proves self-sacrifice for His sake is rewarded.
Easter both invites and commands that we imitate Jesus and open ourselves in mind, heart and body to the needs of others. May you know the peace, hope, love and strength in new life that Our Lord offers.
Father Francis X. Arockiasamy is administrator of Our Lady of the Mountains Church in Highlands.