“He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.” Matt 28: 6
May the spirit of Risen Lord fill your hearts with joy. We celebrate this day because Jesus Christ is victorious over sin and death. In him we have new life. As we begin this season of Easter, we are invited to be attentive to the story that proclaims the mystery of the Resurrection. It is a mystery that teaches us that our belief in Jesus Christ is confident assurance when confronted by the reality of death. We pass from death to life.
This is a comforting message. It is especially comforting in this time of pandemic. The sad reality that confronts us is that tens of thousands of people have and will die because of COVID-19. On the news we hear of many sad and inspiring stories of people who have lost their lives. It makes us wonder what is going on. Why is this happening?
Unfortunately there are no quick and easy answers. It brings to mind the misery and hardship that each of us have and the struggle at different times of our lives. We will all struggle with some form of illness and eventually we will die. There are moments in our history when we are painfully reminded of this, like times of war or disaster. There are moments when we are reminded of our frailty, our weakness, our ignorance, our pride, our selfishness, and our sin. A global tragedy brings our weaknesses to the fore. Yet inevitably, we experience moments of new life. In the grief of those who lost loved ones, we hear of the strength of faith. We witness the good of those who have passed on and are inspired by it. We see the tireless dedication of medical personnel. And, we ourselves become humble as we experience a certain sense of helplessness. We are humbled before God. We also have to come to terms with how we treat each other in our society. Many voices in our world are saying how often in human history, the poor and the marginal tend to bear more of the burden of suffering.
The new life of Christ is a life of transformation. Somehow we are called to live differently. In the time of Easter, we hear the Gospel stories on the appearances of Christ. As we listen to these stories we hear how difficult it is to recognize the living Christ. One level of reality is that Jesus was crucified. How can we see the living one in the one who was crucified? I think that this is an ongoing challenge for us, experiencing new life from sickness and death. I think that it involves conversion and transformation, a constant renewal and deepening of trust in God. Perhaps a willingness to abandon a former way of life and thinking. But most importantly, a call to a renewed commitment to discipleship which is a renewed commitment to embracing to cross and a guarantee of new life.
………………. on COVID-19 and Social Restrictions
The Diocese of Joliet will continue to direct us relative to the degree of social restrictions. At present we don’t know when the social restrictions will change. It is important to comply with the recommendations of the State of Illinois for the well being of everybody. If you should have any questions call me on the parish line 815-727-4788 or in an emergency call me at 317-437-4757.
We will continue to offer live stream and video Mass on Facebook Sunday’s at 8 a.m. in English and 9:30 a.m. in Spanish. On Easter Week we will live stream and video daily Mass at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday in Spanish and Tuesday and Thursday in English.
May the Spirit of the Risen Lord be with you,
Fr. Larry
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