APRIL 21, 2019
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES
“This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us be glad and rejoice in it!”
The 24th verse of Psalm 118 calls out to us to rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ Jesus. For today is Easter, and we have finished our forty day Lenten journey of prayer, fasting, and charity … and we have completed the three days of Christ’s Passion in the Triduum.
Today is not only Easter, but also begins the Easter Octave – 8 days celebrating the “day the Lord has made”, the Resurrection of Our Lord from the dead in which Christ has conquered sin and death.
We heard in today’s Gospel the first few lines of the 20th Chapter of St. John’s Gospel, and heard that Peter and John upon arriving at the tomb “saw and believed” but “did not yet understand”.
Next week, in the account of “doubting Thomas,” we will hear him say, “Unless I see … I will not believe.” And Our Lord’s words to Thomas:
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.Faith, seeing, and understanding – these are three different approaches to growing in knowledge of the Truth.
As we enter into the Easter Season of forty days, let us pray for a deeper outpouring of the Baptismal graces of Faith, Hope, and Love. May our experience of the Presence of the Living Christ in both Word and Sacrament deepen our knowledge and understanding of “Christ our life” – “our paschal lamb, [Who] has been sacrificed”, and Who “is seated at the right hand of God.”
“Christ my hope is arisen … Christ indeed from death is risen … Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!”
