My dear parishioners, the deeply spiritual St. Gregory of Nyssa did not waste time or words when he said, “the goal of a virtuous life is to become like God”.  How are we transformed?

“NOW THE Lord is the Spirit", writes the Apostle Paul, and "...and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”   [2Cor 3:17]

To approach God, which actually is a way of saying to be recognized by him, means that a Christian no longer craves the world's adulation. The builders of the world, however, do not understand God's kingdom, because they reject Christ the Lord, its cornerstone.

A child of God no longer dreads the future. A child of God places audacious confidence in Our Lord. He draws near to God’s incomparable goodness. He invokes the only name given to the world by which humankind may be saved. Like lakes and rivers annually replenished by winter snows, a disciple needs "times of refreshing" [Acts 3:19] by the Holy Spirit.

A most wonderful refreshment is the fulfillment of our cherished hopes and dreams. What is the supernatural hope of a Christian believer? Hope is our enduring, spiritual certitude that God, his Kingdom and eternal life are real. It is our abiding trust in the fulfillment of Christ's promises and our steadfast reliance on the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Hope does not spring from the root and stock of self-interest. Hope is not the desire to have things one’s own self-interested way. Nor is it the blasé assumption that forgiveness is needed in every house except one's own. Though the devil himself may attack our happiness and joy at its very root and deceivers abandon us to our fate, divine hope remains. Indeed, hope —

     . . . keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity.  [Catechism of the Catholic Church  1818] 

Hope is the wellspring of human happiness! In its purest form, hope expresses itself as the joy of our salvation. Hope is the living proof that even in a sinful world, life has purpose and meaning. To act in goodness is a sign that God himself is very near to you. Virtues, the first principles of goodness, are God's divine will written across your soul. Therefore we may add that virtues are spiritual coordinates or markers illuminating your route to the divine.

The human soul, far from being unadorned or blank  (Lat. tabula rasa)  at birth, is graced by God with exceptional gifts, among them: uniqueness, beauty, the image and likeness of God  [cf. Gen 1:26], the charism of eternity, the fertile potency and unfathomable mystery of life, the treasure of God's natural law, and the theological virtues of faith, hope and love.

The Holy Spirit, which animates the human soul beyond its natural powers, is the infallible manifestation of hope. The newly-baptized receive the Holy Spirit as a pledge of their citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Spirit of God guarantees the believer that what God has promised, God will do. In this Easter season, remember the words of Saint Paul, evangelist to the gentiles, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!”  [Phi 4:4]  Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker.
+++