CHRIST IS RISEN!                INDEED HE IS RISEN!

              As we journey through our lives we all face moments of doubt, moments of fear, moments that make us question why things happen as they do.  Without doubt tragedy has in some way touched our lives at one time or another.  Pain, sickness and sorrow are all part of our human existence.  We don’t understand it.  We don’t deserve it.  But it’s something that we all endure.  Fortunately for us, these are not moments that we have to endure without hope.

            If these past forty days of the Great Fast and Holy and Great Week have taught us anything it’s that no one lives without being touched by these conditions, not even the most innocent among us.  The atrocities committed against Our Lord were beyond most of our comprehension.  But we know that they led to something greater—The Resurrection.

            The Resurrection of Our Lord gives us the hope and the knowledge that despite what we might endure in this life, something greater lies ahead for us.  We need not fear, we need not worry, because Christ suffered and gave His life so that we might be sharers in eternal glory and eternal joy.

            As we celebrate today, let us give thanks to the Lord for all He has done for us, and let us face any challenge in our lives with hope.  In the Resurrection we learn that even our darkest moments can lead to victory.

May His love and light fill our hearts with joy today, and may we welcome each other as brothers and sisters in the Resurrection.

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

Sincerely in the Risen Christ,