Dear Friends,

     Christ is risen! He is truly risen! For these fifty days of Easter, we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ—the victory that changes everything.

     The powers of this world—sin, evil, and death—unleashed their full force against Him. And for a moment, it seemed they had won. Jesus truly died. He was laid in the tomb. But on the third day, in a way no one could have anticipated, He rose by His own divine power—alive, victorious, and reigning.

     This is our feast. This is our hope.

     There is nothing in this world more powerful than Jesus Christ. The Resurrection is not a myth, nor a borrowing from ancient stories of renewal. It is not symbolic wishful thinking. It is true. Jesus Christ—“the way, the truth, and the life”—has done what no one else could do: He has broken the power of sin and death and freed us from the dominion of evil.

     Even as we enjoy the familiar (and joyful) customs of Easter, we must not lose sight of what is truly being celebrated. The world often tempts us toward discouragement, even despair. But the Christian life is marked by a hope that cannot be extinguished, because it rests in the One who created all things—and who, for a time, allowed Himself to be subject to this world, only to rise and make all things subject to Himself once again.

This is Easter.

He is risen! He is truly risen!

Amen! Alleluia!

Fr. John