April 2010

Easter Sunday – 2010

From the Pastor /

Christ has risen! Alleluia!

The word, “alleluia”, signifies “give praise to God”. Blessed are those who follow him and praise him.

No other event has been recorded in the history of the world comparable to the one that took place on that Sunday morning when the women discovered the empty tomb of Our Lord. Yet, the glorious Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can only be recognized as such through faith.

With the Resurrection of Our Lord, a new age dawned in the salvation history of humanity, a new chapter was written in the story of the love that God has for us.

My dear brothers and sisters

We Christians should understand that the Resurrection of Christ is not only a historical happening. Almost two thousand years have passed since this most important of all events in the life of Christians occurred. As followers of Christ, we should see in the Resurrection the mystery of the redemption of humanity and our own personal redemption. Jesus Christ lives today, and every day, with us. His Resurrection changed the history of humanity, the meaning of faith and religion for the People of God.

The Resurrection of Christ was not only the confirmation of all that he said and taught during his earthly life, it was also the confirmation of his divinity, of his divine authority, of his absolute power over life and death. He had promised that he would rise from the dead. And he kept his promise.

On a personal level, today, we Christians have a great deal to celebrate.

The triumphant Resurrection of Our Lord shows us two aspects of the Paschal Mystery that are fundamental for our personal life. In the Easter Proclamation we heard that through his Resurrection, the Lord has saved us from the darkness of sin and has given us an opportunity to share completely in the love of God, in the grace of the Holy Spirit. We joyfully celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord.

Through this great event, Our Lord calls on us to transform our lives, to keep trying to do better, to persevere in our attempts to be faithful to be as faithful to God as God is to us.

Christ has risen! Alleluia!!

Easter Sunday – 2010 Read More »

Reflection for Holy Thursday

From the Pastor /

“Take this all of you, and eat it: this is my Body … Take this all of you, and drink: this is the cup of my Blood.”

Tonight, the Word of God comes to us and asks us to think about the mystery that took place for the first time in the upper room before the eyes of the disciples. That mystery is renewed on the altar today in the same way – for Jesus comes by the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the act of consecration by the person of His priest.

Jesus, “having loved His own who were in the world, … loved them to the end,” says St. John; “on the night when He was betrayed,” adds St. Paul.

Consider the contrast: Jesus “loved them to the end“; humanity responds with betrayal, denial, abandonment.

The Eucharist is the Lord’s answer to the way we all turn away. He will not let us forget what He has done for us, how much He loves us. He makes His presence real and living in the Holy Mass until the end of time. It is in this context that the priestly ministry within the Church must be seen. And for this reason today is regarded as the anniversary of the institution of the priesthood.

In the strongest sense of the term, there is only one Priest – Jesus Christ. He is the One who came to reconcile us with the Father, – who is the acceptable sacrifice, – who saves us from our sins. He is forever present in the people He gathers and makes holy, particularly through the sacraments. And in the Eucharist He is the priestly celebrant by the means of the Spirit. Jesus is the answer to the human frailty of His priests. For He is the true and high priest. If this was not true our ritual would be empty of meaning and therefore powerless. It would be dependant on man, something that is impossible. Whoever the human priest, whether a Peter or a Judas, it is Christ who baptizes, grants forgiveness of sins, and ordains some to be priests among His “priestly people”.

Indeed all the baptized share – in their different ways – the priesthood of Christ by being part of His Body – the Church. And in that sense share a common ordination to be with Him Sanctifier of the World – bringers of new life and light into the spiritless and dark places of creation.

The ordained priest accepts the role of Christ as Sanctifier of the Church, and makes Jesus truly present in the bread and wine so that Jesus will be known as always living within and among His people. Through the priest Jesus comes to us, feeds us, heals us, strengthens us, unites us, and shepherds us. For priests to be what they ought is a matter of vital importance for the Church. Priests and the bishops need the prayers of the faithful.

Let us pray on this night for our common priesthood and for those who have been granted the particular ministry of the presbyterate.
Let us have some of Peter’s spontaneous generosity.
Let us have John’s love and closeness.
Let us ask the Lord for courage to participate and share in His Passion.
Let us pray that we do not abandon hope like Judas.
Let us pray that Jesus’ living presence among us give us the strength to do what is right, never forgetting His love.

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