by Rev. Richard Barker
My dear parishioners, I give you the joy of Easter and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! We rejoice in his baptismal blessings. Our baptismal promises shape every moment of our lives. They strengthen, prepare and enrich our future. In Christ we are everything Without him we are nothing. Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead that we might live. Therefore Jesus is worthy to be the cornerstone of the Church. To be in the Church is to be one in Christ. We are the Body of Christ, and he is the head. The head and the body are one.
Remarkably, God has willed to give us seven extraordinary sacraments to be used in our ordinary lives. The crown jewel of the sacraments is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In the Mass, we worship God. Here we are fed with the "living bread which comes down from heaven". [Jn 6:51] We can go anywhere in the world for something to eat. It is only in the Church, however, that we are fed with our Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in holy Eucharist.
Indeed the resplendent celebration of Easter is itself a singular intervention in the Church's liturgical year, a light shining in a darkened world. Christ’s passion and death has delivers us from slavery to sin and anxiety. By self-denial and immersion into the mystery of Our Lord's supreme gift of himself, man's hope is renewed, and trust springs forth from humanity's withered root.
In the hour of his passion, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ became a fountain of life-giving water welling up to eternal life. Therefore we baptize our children and prepare the next generation to receive the gospel. We bath ourselves in life-giving waters of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as we can, because Christ-the-Morning Star waits for our love and open arms.
The mysteries of faith will never grovel before human
intellect. Nor will they beg the human
will to give them meaning. No, the mysteries of faith are most perfectly revealed in the sacraments, the truth and substance of our lives. They are the perfect expressions of God’s absolute, eternal and unchanging divinity. Hence, faith is satisfied by God's commandment "to go rejoicing to the House of the Lord" [Ps 122:1] every Sunday and holy day!
As Roman Catholics, we encounter God in the simple but noble ways of devout religious practice. We cherish, as a supreme value, a firm habit of meeting God in the ordinary events of prayer, worship and Christian fellowship. We call on God’s Holy Spirit to empower our good intentions throughout the liturgical year.
The faith events we know as the sacraments -- Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Priesthood, Reconciliation, Holy Anointing -- may appear ordinary and repetitive over time. The daily progression of salvation history may not reach levels of excitement and entertainment as some would wish. Let us examine ourselves and think again. Human beings are stubborn and tiresome in their sins, not God!
I have no doubt that soon the Lord will place an unexpected altar on the path of every person who calls out,
Lord, Lord! Pray for your eyes and hearts to open so that you will not fail to know it. What might this be? A burning bush. A ladder of angels. A table prepared in the presence of one's enemies. The belly of a whale. A chance encounter with a heavenly stranger. The rush of a mighty wind and tongues of fire. The touch of God. A life-giving word. The unexpected altar may be anything, but it is the Lord who chooses. "God, You have shown us the paths of life; you fill us with joy in your presence." [Acts 2:28] "Are not our hearts burning inside us?" [Luke 24:32]
To you is given by Christ the inexpressible joy of Easter, of walking in the light of God's glory, and achieving faith’s goal, the salvation of your eternal soul. Believe in the name of Christ! Hide yourself in his loving embrace!! Let his glory, his beatitude, his holiness soothe your wounded soul. Recognize the Lord Jesus as your high priest. For he who breaks bread in your midst is worthy to be entrusted with your broken heart, your wounded spirit, your fragile dreams, your most exciting hopes. Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker.
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