On Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, Father Barker published this reverent and inspiring reflection. Following are some of the highlights. The April 12, 2020 Spirit and Truth newsletter that features the complete article is now posted on our website for your convenience. The Spirit and Truth Staff 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. 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 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. 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! 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. +++
On Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, Father Barker published this reverent and inspiring reflection. Following are some of the highlights. The April 12, 2020 Spirit and Truth newsletter that features the complete article is now posted on our website for your convenience. The Spirit and Truth Staff