CHRIST IS RISEN!                INDEED HE IS RISEN!

The women came early in the morning to the tomb of Christ, not knowing what they would find.  They entered, afraid and bewildered.  What they discovered was beyond their wildest expectations.  They went to anoint the dead and discovered the living.  They entered in sorrow and emerged in joy.  The day did not turn out as they planned.  Instead of sadness, it brought unbelievable joy to them and to the world.

            We can all relate to this story in some measure, because we know that our days, indeed our lives, do not always turn out as we plan them.  We enter with certain expectations, and sometimes they are met—and sometimes they are not.  But even if they’re not it is no reason to despair, because sometimes the unexpected can lead us to even greater heights.  We need to trust that God always has something better in store for us, and that in whatever situation we find ourselves we are never alone.

            The Resurrection of Christ has given us reason to hope and reason to be confident that there is nothing in this world that can hold us down—not sickness, not fear, not despair, not even death.  In Christ, everything is made new.  And with Him, our lives cannot help but turn out better than we can ever dream them to be.

            May the Risen Lord fill your homes with peace and love and may His Light lead you to ever greater heights.

            With the bestowal of my archiepiscopal upon you, God’s people, I remain

Sincerely in the Risen Christ,