Easter Pastoral

​Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Today we echo the words of the hymn that “the strife is o’er, the battle done; the victory of life is won.” We ended our Lenten observance and enter into the joys of the Pascal season. We often think of Lent as the time when we do our most difficult spiritual work. However, we know that because of the resurrection our work has just begun. Like the women in the tomb and the holy apostles we are now compelled to share the good news of salvation with others, “lest even the stones cry out” (Luke 19:40). We are all responsible now of proclaiming the message of hope, of mercy, of love, and forgiveness. We are also compelled to invite others to a full life in Christ through the reception of the Holy Sacraments, which strengthen us on the journey. This message cannot come from the clergy alone. At our baptisms we entered the faith with the expectation we would live it ourselves as well as share it with others. May God give us the strength to live out this call and the wisdom to do it well.