Dear Parishioners and Friends in Christ,
All praise be to Christ Jesus who is risen from the dead! Alleluia! After our lenten journey of preparation, we are finally here. Today, we celebrate the greatest gift given to humanity: salvation won by Christ through his suffering, death, and resurrection (a.k.a. The Paschal Mystery). Our heavenly Father sent his only begotten Son to walk with us as God-man thereby taking on all our sins, though not having sinned himself. By his taking on our sins, crushing them in death, and rising on the third day, he has opened up for us the way to eternal life. This is the Good News!
Many of us struggle to realize this in our lives due to all the stress we experience and the sheer weight of sins which we carry unnecessarily. In addition, the popular media and news give us no reason to hope that anything will change. Each one of us carry burdens which dampen our joy or even blind us to the Divine Mercy which Christ wants us to experience. So, today is the day we celebrate the fact that God has done something miraculous for us which can set us free.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Do you want to be set free? Do you want to truly live without the burden of all that holds you down? You can be set free! You don’t need to do this alone. You do not need to be afraid or worried all the time. Christ is the answer. It’s all about him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Today, spend some time in quiet prayer. Share with Jesus your pains and sorrows, your sins and problems. Ask him directly and without pretense or precise language to enter your heart, to have permission to take on all these burdens, and create you anew. Ask him to take away whatever disordered attractions keep getting you into trouble. Allow yourself to die to yourself in Christ, to let go and let Jesus take over. He won’t let you down. He will never leave you. He knows you and loves you beyond all measure, for his love is perfect and his grace is sufficient for you to be able to handle whatever hardships come your way. He desires for you to live with him along with all the Saints and Angels in heaven. But, know that in the meantime, he has work for you to do. By letting him be the Lord of your life, he will set you on a path that will bring you joy and fulfillment. Living by His Holy Spirit is an adventure worth living.
Let the reality of Christ’s resurrection steep in your soul. And finally, if there is anything I or any of our staff can do to help you on your Christian journey, please let us know. That’s why we are here.
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor