Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I hope that you had a meaningful and moving Easter celebration. For me, Easter is indeed the high point of the year. It comes with the beginning of Spring, so there is a sense of hope and new life in the air. I know that having to wear masks can be a hassle, but I am hopeful that the end of the pandemic is in sight. I want to ask you to do something. Wherever you are, stop what you are doing, pause, and take a deep breath. Close your eyes and conjure up an image of Jesus standing before you. He has been crucified and has suffered but has been raised up in resurrection. He is offering you His peace. He told his disciples, “My peace I leave you, my peace I give you.” He is offering that peace to you as well. See Him opens his hands to you and smile at you, for you are his beloved. Can you relax your tension, your anxiety, your life plans and actions for a little while, and allow Christ to give you this gift?
The gift of Christ in Easter is His life for us and the promise of life with Him. Today, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday which reflects the meaning of Christ’s passion, suffering, death, and resurrection. God loves us truly, with our faults and blemishes, weaknesses and failures. But also in our good actions and loving relationships. We cannot be separated from Him. His mercy is divine and thus hard for us to understand and even comprehend. The God of Love cares for us, we are his people. We are the subjects of His care and attention. In our trials and pain, Christ is there wanting to ease our suffering. He is offering us peace. While the Easter season will last another month or so, let us work on believing in His peace and accepting it into our lives.
Blessings,
Deacon Steve
