Easter Greetings!

In my bulletin article last week, I mentioned the entire Holy Week event is all about love. We walked through some of the important facets of the final days and hours of Jesus’ life. We saw how it led us to the cross, to the tomb; the grief and the pain that Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the disciples of Jesus experienced.

Today, everything changes. The silence of the tomb has been transformed into the joy of the empty tomb, from sadness to gladness, from death to life and from hopelessness to HOPE!

Friends, Happy Easter! Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The tomb is empty, and it remains empty even today because there is hope. That is the message of Easter.

The Redeemer lives and has conquered sin and death. He lives to change our lives. As the song “I know that My Redeemer Lives” says: He lives to bless [us] with His love. He lives to silence all [our] fears, to wipe away [our] tears, to calm [our] troubled heart. He lives to love [us] to the end. He lives to grant [us] daily bread. He lives to prepare the mansion and bring [us] safely there. He lives! And I know that my Redeemer lives!

The Church gives us 50 days to celebrate the joy of Easter. Let us share the gift of hope, love, and life with everyone we encounter. Let us be filled with Spirit to boldly proclaim not just in words, but more importantly by our actions that Christ is risen. The proof that Christ is risen is when we live our lives in response to the love of God for us, and through that response, others may know and experience that they too are loved by God.

To all of you, thank you for choosing Holy Spirit Parish as your place to worship and celebrate Easter.

As Jesus’ disciples, may we know His joy, and may it be the foundation of our hope that Jesus’ message of love redeems the world. It is in deep gratitude for all of you that I pray to our Lord. May the joy of the Risen Christ be yours today and everyday especially during this beautiful season.

Easter blessings,

Fr. Ritche