Easter Message from Fr. Charles…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The events we recalled in the liturgies of Holy Week culminate and set stage for THE singular most important event in human history: the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Everything, absolutely everything, in human history that had ever occurred from the time of Adam and Eve up until that first Easter was building up to this one event. And everything that has happened in human history since Jesus emerged from the tomb, and every event that will happen from now until the moment Christ returns in glory, all derive their meaning from the Resurrection. It is the apex of all human history.
As we celebrate Easter, we stand bathed in the light of Christ’s glory and the joy His resurrection brings to the world. The long weeks of Lenten discipline are behind us and hopefully we have spiritually gained from them and we are ready to receive the grace of “newness of life” that is ours in the Easter mystery which is a beautiful gift given to each of us. It is like a “seed”. The grace of Christ’s Resurrection in our lives is just waiting to unfold – waiting to grow and blossom and transform us in ways we can scarcely imagine now. The Lord wants us to grow and become so much more.
Today is Easter. Christ has passed through death to rise to a new and unending life. He has done so for us, not only so that our sins might be washed away but also so that we might “have life and have it to the full”. For all of us, there is at least some ways in which that having “life to the full” is not yet a reality in our lives. This Easter each of us has received from the Lord a certain grace that, at this moment, still exists within us as only a seed. What might that seed be in your life? Even more importantly, what are the ways the Lord is calling you to “water”, “weed” and otherwise care for that seed so that it will grow and blossom in your own life?
Each Year on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil, Parishes welcome new Catholics through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Here at St. Stephen, Martyr we warmly welcome the members who have joined our community of faith by way of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation and others who will be received into full communion and confirmed at Pentecost. We congratulate you and offer our prayers and support as you continue to grow in the faith.
Easter is not over; it is only just beginning. The seed of Easter grace lies within each one of us as a promise. Let us strive together to till the soil of our souls so that we might experience the full fruitfulness of what the Lord desires for us.
Happy Easter to one and all.
